The Mystery of the Celibate Corpse
by MomsDarkSecret
Summary: The Hardy Boys find a body in the woods. Nancy Drew steps in to help the investigation. SLASH WARNING! Includes scenes of gay and incestuous relationships. Complete.
1. The Body

**Disclaimer**: The characters Frank Hardy, Joe Hardy and Fenton Hardy are borrowed from the series of Hardy Boys books by Franklin W. Dixon. The characters Nancy Drew, Carson Drew, Ned Nickerson, George Fayne and Bess Marvin are borrowed from the series of Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene.

**Warnings**: This story includes as an on-going sub-plot an incestuous homosexual relationship between Frank and Joe Hardy. **Slash Warning**! While none of the scenes are particularly graphic or explicit, there's no mistaking what's going on. There is also an implied lesbian relationship between George Fayne and Bess Marvin. If these sorts of things make you uncomfortable, I strongly suggest you stop now and go read some other story.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 1: The Body

"It's muddy out here," Joe grumbled. "We should have brought a blanket."

"And how were you planning to explain to Dad why we needed a blanket to go jogging?" Frank asked pointedly.

"Well, we're doing it on our knees, then. We can explain getting mud on our legs, but not on my back."

"That's fine."

The two young men walked carefully through the woods. It was dark, so they went slowly to avoid slipping. It had rained that day, so the ground was quite damp. Frank, the older of the two at eighteen years of age, and taller by about three inches, led the way. His younger brother Joe, a slender youth of seventeen, followed.

"Why's Dad home tonight, anyway?" Joe asked in an annoyed tone. "I thought he had an AA meeting tonight."

"He said their mediator has the flu so the meeting was cancelled. He and some of his AA buddies decided to have a Sobriety Night at our house instead."

"What the hell is a Sobriety Night?"

"That's when a bunch of former drunks get together and try to prove they can have more fun sober than drunk."

"Sounds like a blast." Joe's tone was in complete contrast to his words. "Anyway, I personally always had a lot of fun watching Dad and his old friends try to play Charades when they were loaded."

Frank laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty funny."

"And besides, once Dad passed out, we could make as much noise as we wanted and he never noticed." Joe slipped in a muddy spot. "Shit! We're gonna get filthy."

Frank stopped. "You're right." He looked around. "It doesn't look like there's too much mud under that tree. You can lean against it."

"That'll work." Joe stepped up to the tree and pulled his running shorts and underwear down. He put his hands against the tree trunk and bent forward slightly. Frank stepped up behind him, pulled down his own shorts and underpants and began rubbing himself briskly. Joe glanced over his shoulder. "You're not ready?"

"I was distracted. It'll only take a second. See?" Frank stepped close and caught Joe's hip with one hand. "You lubed, right?"

"Yeah," Joe said. "Hurry up! My ass is getting cold."

"Don't be so impatient! Good things are worth waiting for." Frank guided himself in and then clasped Joe with both hands as the younger man groaned.

Joe drew his breath in with a faint gasp. "I can always count on you," he moaned.

"Who else can you count on, if not your big brother?" Frank teased. He began thrusting into Joe, going slowly at first and then picking up speed.

"And you're a very BIG brother," Joe groaned out between thrusts.

"That's because you always get me so hard!" Frank gasped back. He fucked Joe urgently, until delicious release left them both panting with pleasure.

"Oh, that was good!" Joe sighed. "I wish we had time for more."

"Me, too," Frank agreed, "but Dad might wonder if we're out too long 'jogging'." Frank stepped back and pulled up his shorts.

Joe turned around as he pulled his own shorts up. "Dad just better not miss his meeting tomorrow night! His sobriety is practically turning us into monks! When are we supposed to fuck if he's home and sober all the time?"

"Yeah, it definitely sucks," said Frank. "Maybe we can get him signed up with a few more self-help groups."

Joe nodded as they started back toward home. The Hardy home was on a street that dead-ended against the woods. When the boys were quite young, theirs had been one of only three houses on the street, but now both sides of the street were lined with homes all the way to the end. They had had to walk quite far out into the woods to make sure no one heard them. They had just gotten close enough on their way back to see the lights of the nearest house when Frank slipped in the mud.

"Shit!" Frank grunted as he stumbled onto one knee. He flung out a hand to keep himself from falling all the way down and then let out a startled yelp. "What the hell?!" He snatched his hand back as Joe caught him by the back of the shirt to steady him.

"What is it?" asked Joe.

"It felt like a body!" Frank said.

"A body?" Joe helped Frank to his feet and then stepped past him to stare into the dark under the overhanging branches of a tree. He leaned over. "You're right. It is a body. I think it's a woman." He touched the body tentatively. "She's awfully cold."

"I think she's dead." Frank stepped up beside Joe and touched the woman. He pressed his fingers against the side of her neck. "No pulse."

"Damn!" Joe looked around. "With all this mud, there might have been tracks, but we'll have messed them up."

"I know." Frank swore under his breath. "You better get back to the house and call the sheriff. I'll wait here."

"Are you sure?" Joe sounded worried. "What if whoever left her is still here?"

Frank straightened up. "I doubt it. I think she's been here awhile. Her skin's too wet. She has to have been here since it rained."

"Right. I'll be as quick as I can." Joe hurried off through the trees.

Frank looked around. "Bring a flashlight when you come back!" he shouted after Joe.

"Will do!"

Joe burst into the house to find the Sobriety Night gathering in full swing. They were playing Twister. Joe took one look and vowed silently he would never play that game with Frank again, as much fun as it was to see if they could do it without losing their positions on the colored circles.

"Joe!" Fenton Hardy called. "Come join us!"

"No thanks, Dad, I have to call the sheriff."

Fenton looked surprised. "What's up?"

"Frank and I found a body in the woods."

"A body?!" Fenton exclaimed in surprise. And then he frowned. "What were you two doing in the woods? I thought you were jogging."

"We were, but we took a short cut." Joe went into the kitchen to use the phone there. "Don't let me interrupt. I'll just make the call and head back out."

Fenton followed him. "Did Frank stay with the body?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps I'd better come back with you. It might be dangerous."

Joe sighed. "Frank didn't think so, Dad. Anyway, you shouldn't leave your friends when you're the host."

"But a body…"

"It's all right, Dad. Frank and I can take care of it. Go back in the living room. I need to make the call." Still frowning, Fenton went back into the other room. Joe could hear him explaining to his guests as he punched 911. Fenton Hardy had not been the same since his wife left him. That's what had started him drinking. Joe missed his mother, but he had to admit not having her in the house and having their father drunk all the time had made it much easier for him and Frank to engage in their favorite pastime. But now their father had decided to be clean and sober and it was definitely screwing up their screwing around.

"Bayport Emergency Services. How may I direct your call?"

"I need to talk to the sheriff. My brother and I found a body in the woods near our house."

"Is this Joe Hardy?" The woman on the other end of the line sounded much too perky to be a police dispatcher.

"Yes, this is Joe."

"I'll put you through to the sheriff, Joe."

"Thanks."

The sheriff answered the phone in his usual gruff manner. "Sheriff Becker speaking."

"Sheriff, this is Joe Hardy. Frank and I just found a body in the woods near our house."

"A body? In the woods?" The repetition sounded a little silly, but Joe knew that Sheriff Becker was writing the information down. "Whereabouts, exactly?"

"It's about a hundred yards off the end of Elm."

"All right. I'll be over there in just a few minutes. Wait for me."

"Yes, sir." Joe hung up and then rummaged under the kitchen sink to snag the big flashlight. When he re-entered the living room, the Twister game was over. His father's guests were putting on their coats and getting ready to leave. "I'm sorry we messed up your evening, Dad."

"It's not your fault, son," Fenton said. "This is important."

"I'm going out to wait for the Sheriff." Joe went back out and trotted down to the end of the street. He watched as his father's guests drove away. When the last had left, Fenton came out with his coat on and walked down to join Joe.

They didn't speak as they waited for the sheriff. Joe shifted uncomfortably as Frank's cum dampened his underwear and made it chaff. He preferred staying naked after sex, at least for a few minutes, but that was not going to happen tonight. Sheriff Tom Becker arrived only five minutes later, a benefit of living in a small town. His patrol car was followed by another patrol car and the coroner's wagon. All three cars pulled in at an angle at the end of the road.

"Evening Fenton," Sheriff Becker said as he stepped out of his car. "Joe, you better take us right along to that body."

"Yes, sir," said Joe. "This way."

Joe flipped on his flashlight and led the party into the woods. In addition to the sheriff, there were two deputies, the coroner and her two assistants. The sheriff and one of the deputies also had flashlights.

"Over here!" Frank called almost as soon as they had gotten into the trees.

The group hurried to reach him. Joe paused in surprise. What he had not been able to see before was revealed by the flashlight. The victim was naked. Her bare, pale skin was unmarked as she lay on her back with her arms neatly folded across her chest and her legs straight and together. Her hair was spread out in a smooth fan around her head. If not for the fact that she was clearly dead, the pose would have been quite artistic.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Sheriff Becker exclaimed.

"I'm afraid we'll have muddied the crime scene a little," Frank said, "if you'll pardon the expression. We stumbled across the body in the dark."

"What were you doing out here in the middle of the night?" Deputy Corbin Hill asked.

"Jogging," Frank said calmly.

"In the woods?" Deputy Hill looked surprised and suspicious.

"It was a shortcut."

"You didn't see or hear anything, did you?" the sheriff asked.

"No, I'm afraid not," said Frank. "Like I said, we literally stumbled onto the body. We didn't see or hear anyone."

"Well, let's look around to see if there are any clues before it starts raining again."

The group searched the area, but nothing was found. If there had been tracks, they had been washed away by the rain. There was no sign of the victim's clothes, nor were there any other items to be found. There was nothing but the woman's body.

"This is a real strange one," Sheriff Becker said, scratching his head. Rain began to drip down through the trees. "Well, you'd better pack her up Doc," he said to the coroner. "How soon can you get me a cause of death?"

"I'll try to have it for you by tomorrow, Sheriff."

"I'll right. Let's get 'er bagged and loaded."

The coroner's two assistants wrestled the victim into a body bag and lugged it back to the coroner's wagon. The two deputies roped off the area where the body had been with police tape and then everyone headed back.

"Frank and Joe," Sheriff Becker said, "I'll probably want to talk to you again tomorrow, after we get a cause of death, all right?"

"Sure, Sheriff," Frank said. "We'll put our heads together and see if we can remember anything."

"That's great. I'll see you tomorrow, then." The sheriff climbed into his patrol car, backed out and drove off down Elm behind the coroner.

Deputy Hill stared suspiciously at the Hardy boys before climbing into his patrol car and following the sheriff.

Fenton regarded his sons thoughtfully. "It still seems kind of odd that you'd be that far out in the woods."

"We just wanted something a little more challenging than the roads, Dad," Frank said offhandedly. "But let's get inside. I'm starting to get cold."

"Me, too," Joe agreed. "And I could use a shower." He grinned at Frank behind Fenton's back. "My butt feels wet."


	2. The Coroner's Report

**Warning**: This chapter contains adult language and incestuous homosexual situations.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 2: The Coroner's Report

Joe pulled his blanket up over his head at the sound of his bedroom door opening the next morning.

"You awake, Joe?" Frank asked.

Joe pushed the blanket back down and rolled over. "Yeah. I thought you were Dad. Did he leave yet?"

"Yes, he's gone." Frank came in and shut the door. He only had his underwear on and he had a tube of lube in one hand. "He said he was going over to the sheriff's office to see about that body." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "We probably have an hour or so," he added with a smile.

Joe smiled back and tossed off his blanket. He was naked. "I'm ready."

"Indeed you are." Frank took off his underwear. "How do you want it?"

Joe rolled onto his stomach. "From behind, please."

"Very well." Frank squeezed lube onto his fingers and inserted them into Joe. "How's that?"

"Nice," Joe murmured.

Frank worked his fingers in and out for a minute or two and then stretched out on Joe's back, pushing his legs apart with his knees. "Something's bothering me about that body," he said as he slowly worked himself into Joe's backside.

"Other than tripping over it in the dark?" Joe chuckled. He lifted his hips a little, giving Frank better access.

"Yeah." Frank drew a deep breath and let it out with a soft sigh of pleasure. "We were home all afternoon and I don't remember hearing anyone drive up the street."

"We were kind of busy."

"True, but still..." Frank paused as he was momentarily distracted by the pleasure of what he was doing. "We're always listening in case Dad shows up unexpectedly."

"You have a good point." Joe gasped and let out a soft moan. "And what you're saying is true, too."

Frank started moving faster. "I think we need to go look around some more. Whoever dumped that body didn't come down Elm to get to the woods."

"Right," Joe agreed. He began to gasp. "Ah!"

"Oh!" Frank gasped back.

"Ahhhh!" they cried together. They lay still for a moment afterward, waiting for their shudders to subside.

"Ok," Frank panted after a few moments. "Let's get dressed and get out there."

"Yeah."

Frank and Joe hiked back out to where they found the body. The yellow police tape still marked the area.

"You look around over there," Frank ordered. "I'll look over here."

They separated and began to search. Frank moved carefully through his area, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"Frank!" Joe called. "Come look at this."

Frank hurried over.

"I think these are tracks," Joe said. He had lifted back some palm fronds to reveal deep indentations in the mud underneath.

Frank squatted down. "I think you're right." He looked along the line the tracks made. "Let's look back that way."

They followed the imaginary line of tracks and found more indentations at the base of a tree.

"These look like boot heels," Frank said.

They searched farther and found two more sets of tracks along the same line, but eventually the trail faded and they found nothing more.

"Where are we?" asked Joe.

"I think we're just above the highway," Frank answered. "It should be this way." He pushed his way through the thick growth. After a short distance, they came out on a bluff overlooking the highway.

"Look, there's a spot down there where a car could pull out." Joe pointed.

"Let's go down and check."

They made their way down the side of the bluff and hiked along the highway to the pullout. Deep tire tracks in the mud were only partially obliterated by the previous day's rain.

"That's a long way to carry a dead body," said Joe. "There were a lot of other places to leave it."

"You're right." Frank walked to the edge of the pullout away from the road. "Maybe she wasn't dead when they went into the woods."

"But if she was forced, there should be signs of a struggle." Joe looked around. "I don't see anything."

"Neither do I. Let's head back. Maybe the sheriff has the coroner's report by now."

They went back to the house to get Frank's car. Fenton Hardy was still out. The boys were not surprised to find his car parked in front of the Sheriff's office. They parked next to it and went in.

"Hi, Joe!" the young female deputy on duty at the front desk greeted them. Her eyes lit up with excitement. "I heard you found a body!"

"Yes, my brother and I did." Joe tried to sound friendly without seeming too interested. Everyone knew Deputy Rose Waylon had a thing for Joe Hardy, despite being six years his senior.

Rose glanced at Frank. "Hello, Frank."

"Deputy Waylon." His greeting was as bland as hers. "Is our father still with the sheriff?"

"Yes, he is." Rose smiled at Joe. "You can go on in. I think he's expecting you."

"Thanks."

Rose turned to watch as they went by and she continued to smile after them.

Frank glanced back and then looked away with a grimace. "That woman is a perv. You're underage, but I bet she'd still jump you in a heartbeat if you gave her half a chance."

"That's what bothers me," Joe replied with an unhappy frown. "What happens when I turn eighteen next year? I won't have the law to protect me and that chick's gonna have more than her hands down my pants then."

"You're just too damned cute, little brother."

"This isn't funny."

"I know."

They stopped outside the sheriff's frosted glass door and knocked.

"Come in!" Sheriff Becker called. "Oh, good, you're here!" he said when the boys stepped in. "I just got the coroner's report and I was going over it with your dad here." Fenton Hardy, seated in a chair facing the sheriff's desk, waved a piece of paper he was holding. "It's real interesting," Tom Becker continued. "Since you boys found the body, you can have a look at it."

Fenton handed the sheet to Frank and the boys skimmed the report. The woman had died from an overdose of a sleeping agent, but it had not been administered in pills. There had been nothing in her stomach. There were no other signs or marks on the woman at all, except for one anomaly that had nothing to do with causing the woman's death: her vagina had been completely blocked with a hard resinous substance that the coroner was still trying to identify.

"Someone plugged up her vagina?" Joe exclaimed in surprise.

"And she didn't do it to herself," Tom said. "Dr. Chambers is fairly certain the resin was inserted post mortem."

"But why would someone do that?" Frank wondered aloud. "Were they trying to cover up a sexual assault?"

"We don't know that yet. Dr. Chambers can't tell if the victim had sex or not, with that plug in there."

"That's really weird," said Joe.

"I was just offering to help Tom search for reports of similar killings in other places," Fenton said. "Would you boys like to give me a hand?"

"Sure, Dad," Frank said.

Fenton stood up and held out a hand to the sheriff. "We'll get right on it, Tom. We'll let you know if we find anything."

Tom stood up and clasped Fenton's hand in a firm shake. "Thanks, Fenton, I appreciate the help. See you at the meeting tonight?"

"Absolutely," Fenton nodded. "I think I'm about ready to start talking about Laura tonight."

"That's great! The healing can't begin until you open up."

Joe and Frank exchanged a glance. Frank dropped the coroner's report on the sheriff's desk.

"Joe and I will meet you at home, Dad. There's something I want to check on first."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Well, Joe and I looked around some more in the woods this morning. We don't think whoever dumped the body came down Elm. We wanted to check some of the other streets that end near the woods."

"What makes you think that?" Tom asked.

"Joe and I were home yesterday afternoon and we didn't hear anybody drive down the street."

Tom rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That makes sense. Tell you what; I'll have Deputy Hill go with you."

Frank suppressed a groan. "Sure thing, Sheriff."

Joe was wearing one of those utterly blank expressions that people wear when they are trying to hide their reaction.

They went back into the squad room and Rose favored Joe with another excited smile.

"Hill!" Tom called. "I want you to go with the Hardy boys. They have a good idea about that body they found."

Deputy Hill stood up from his desk with a sour expression. "Why don't they just tell me and I'll look into it?"

Tom waved a hand casually. "No, you all just go together. Two heads are better than one, as they say, and the more eyes on this, the better, I say. This is a weird one." Tom shook the boys' hands. "I think I'll head over and see if Dr. Chambers has found out anything more."

He and Fenton went out together and stood outside talking for a few minutes.

Corbin Hill frowned at Frank and Joe. "So just what is this great idea of yours?"

Frank tried not to show his irritation. "We're certain whoever left the body didn't drive down Elm to get to the woods. We want to check other streets with access close to the area where the body was found."

"There aren't that many," Corbin said. "We can divide them up and it will take less time."

Frank glanced at Joe. "Sure! You take the ones on the west side and we'll do the ones on the east."

Corbin smiled. "Sounds fine." He fished the keys to his cruiser out of his desk drawer and headed for the door. "You're on your own till Burt gets back, Rose."

"Sure thing!" Rose replied brightly. She grinned at Joe. "I sure wish the sheriff had assigned me to go along with you. I'd love to get out in the field!"

"Maybe next time," Joe said as he hurried out ahead of Frank. "That woman terrifies me," he announced as he climbed into the car.

"No kidding!" Frank grinned. "Of course, if she assaults you, Tom would fire her."

Joe groaned. "That would leave her with all kinds of free time. She'd probably start stalking me."

Frank laughed. "Don't worry, little brother! You know I'll always be around to look after you."

"I think I need to get some mace."


	3. The Victim's Identity

**Warning**: This chapter contains adult language and incestuous homosexual situations.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 3: The Victim's Identity

Frank and Joe walked back to Frank's car after searching the woods around the end of the last road they were to check.

"I guess we should call Corbin and see if he found anything," Frank said.

"I doubt he did," Joe said. "I think the tracks we found leading to the pullout on the highway were it."

"I think so too, but let's go through the motions anyway." Frank pulled out his cell phone and dialed the sheriff's office. "Hi, Rose. This is Frank Hardy. Can you patch me through to Deputy Hill? Thanks."

Joe grimaced at the mention of Rose's name. Frank grinned.

"Deputy Hill, Frank Hardy here. Find anything?" He listened for several minutes, while mouthing the words 'pompous ass' to Joe. "Ok. We didn't find anything either. I guess my idea didn't pan out too well." He listened some more and rolled his eyes. "Uh huh. Sure. Ok. Well, thanks Deputy." He disconnected. "What an asshole!"

Joe laughed. "But that should keep him out of our hair for a while."

"True." Frank leaned on the roof of the car. "Let's head back to the house and see if Dad found anything. I'm getting really curious about whether there have been any similar deaths recently."

"Me, too."

They climbed back into the car and drove home.

Fenton was in the kitchen making a sandwich when they got home. "Find anything, boys?"

"No. Neither did Deputy Hill."

"Well, it was a long shot, but worth the effort."

"Did you find out anything, Dad?" Frank asked.

"Nothing like what happened to our victim." He frowned. "There have been quite a few women murdered in the past few months, but none were mutilated in the same way."

"Do you think she was murdered, Dad?" Joe asked.

"Someone took her out into the woods and laid her out like that," Fenton replied. "Even if she took the sleeping draught herself, someone else stuck that plug in her and left her there. It's the same thing as murder, in my book."

Frank nodded in agreement. "Hopefully, the sheriff will find out who she is. Then we can focus on murders committed closer to wherever she's from."

"That's what I'm hoping, too." Fenton took a bite of his sandwich.

"So, how late will you be out tonight, Dad?" Joe asked casually.

Fenton swallowed quickly. "Well, there are supposed to be a couple of new people at group tonight, so we'll probably run late. Don't wait up for me."

Joe tried not to smile. "Ok."

"Joe, let's go use my computer and do some research. Maybe something will leap out at us."

"Sure."

They went up to Frank's room.

As soon as the door was closed, Joe rubbed his hands together gleefully. "He could be gone for hours!" he exclaimed happily. "This makes up for him staying home last night."

Frank grinned. "Let's get as much done before dinner as we can. I don't want this nagging at me later."

"I should have made some sandwiches. I'll go back down."

"Good idea."

Much later that afternoon, Joe sat back and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Man, I'm ready for a break."

"Me, too." Frank frowned at the screen. "I can't believe we can't find anything. That death scene was too deliberate. It had to be planned."

"Maybe so, but we haven't found anything even remotely like it." Joe stood up. "I'm going to make dinner. If I let Dad do it, we'll be eating mac'n'cheese out of a box again."

"Ok. I'll be down in a bit to set the table."

After dinner, Fenton left for his group meeting and the boys returned to Frank's room.

"This really bugs me!" Frank exclaimed. "I feel like I'm missing something."

"Do you want to surf the web a little more?"

Frank stared at the blank computer screen for several seconds and then shook his head. "No. Let's go to bed. I think I need to get my mind on something else for a while."

Joe started to undress. "That's a good idea. Your subconscious always seems to work better when you're fucking." He climbed onto the bed on his knees when he was naked and watched Frank strip.

"Maybe something will come to me when the coroner determines if she had sex or not before the plug was inserted," Frank said. He climbed onto the bed and moved behind Joe. "Hand me the lubricant on the nightstand there."

Joe reached for the tube and handed it over his shoulder to Frank. "You probably shouldn't leave this out where Dad can see it."

"Too late for that!" Frank laughed. "He saw it a couple of weeks ago. I told him I use it on my models when the parts don't quite fit. I said it was easier to clean off than oil."

"He bought that?"

"I did use it for that once when I was out of oil. Bend over for a second."

Joe complied and Frank squirted lubricant onto his fingers and worked it into him. Then he dropped the tube on the bed and slipped his arms around Joe's waist, pulling him back upright. He inched forward and put himself into Joe with a firm thrust.

"Ah!" Joe gasped. "Keep doing that!"

Frank kept doing it.

Several hours later, they lay on the bed side-by-side, deeply satisfied.

"That was really good," said Joe.

"I'll say," Frank agreed. He rolled onto his side facing Joe and propped his head up on one hand. "And you know what? I just thought of something. When I was searching through that list of possibly-sexually motivated murders, there's one that came back to me just now. It was a guy who was castrated after he was killed. They never found his penis."

"Hmm…" Joe rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What does a guy with no dick have in common with a woman with no hole?" He looked at Frank.

"Neither one can have intercourse," they said together.

"We need to find out who that woman was and see if there's any way she can be connected to the dickless guy," Frank said.

A car turned into the Hardy driveway, its headlights briefly illuminating the ceiling.

"Dad's back," Joe said.

"You should go to your own room before he comes in."

"Yeah." Joe sat up. "Do you suppose Dad gets any?"

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure he's not dating anyone, but it's not something I feel comfortable asking him."

"I know what you mean." Joe slid off the bed. "Oh, well. See you in the morning."

"Good night."

Sheriff Becker called the next morning while the Hardys were having breakfast. Fenton put him on the speakerphone.

"We got an I.D. on the victim," Tom said. "Her name was Tonya Amberson. She was a substitute teacher over in River Heights, so they had her fingerprints on file."

"That was lucky," Fenton said.

"Yeah. I talked to the police chief in River Heights," Tom continued. "She hadn't been reported missing. I'm heading over there in an hour or so. Chief Jones is going to take me to her place. Care to go along, Fenton?"

"Yes, I would. I'll meet you at your office in half an hour."

"Great! See you then."

Tom hung up and Fenton turned off the speaker.

"You boys want to go with us?"

"No thanks, Dad," Frank said. "I want to do a little more research on-line. I think I might be on to something."

"All right." Fenton cleared his dishes from the table and put them in the sink. "I'll have my cell if you need to reach me."

"Sure thing, Dad."

Fenton left the kitchen and Frank leaned toward Joe. "I think the dickless guy was from River Heights, too," he said in a low voice, "but I want to check that again."

"Wow!" Joe said. "Maybe there _is_ a connection."

"I'm starting to wonder," Frank agreed.

They finished their breakfasts, put the dishes in the dishwasher and went up to Frank's room. Frank settled in front of his computer and Joe sat cross-legged on the bed.

"If they are both from River Heights," Joe said, "what are the odds they know each other?"

"It's a pretty big town." Frank began typing. "But if they did, that starts to make it look more like we might have a serial killer on our hands." Frank studied the screen. "I was right! Darren Bolton was from River Heights. He was found dead and castrated in his home just over two weeks ago. Hey! Look at this!" He pointed at the screen and Joe slid off the bed so he could read over Frank's shoulder.

"He worked for Carson Drew?!" Joe exclaimed in surprise. He looked at Frank. "Do you still have Nancy's number?"

Frank grimaced. "Yeah."

Fenton knocked on the door and stuck his head in. "I'm heading out now. Anything you want me to tell the sheriff?"

"Not yet," Frank said. "I want to check a few more things first."

"Ok, see you later."

"Bye, Dad."

Joe sat back down on the bed. "So you gonna call Nancy?"

Frank scowled. "I guess."

Joe grinned. "Maybe she's over that crush now."

"One can only hope."

"Still… It was kind of cute the way her boyfriend got all jealous."

"Shut up!" Frank threw a pen at him.

Joe dodged it, laughing.

They heard Fenton's car start up and back out of the driveway. Frank put the computer in standby and moved to the bed.

"Maybe it was funny to you," Frank complained. "You weren't the one she was pawing every five minutes."

"You should have just fucked her."

"Eww!" Frank made a face. "I don't like fucking girls." Then he shoved Joe down on his back and sat on him. "Anyway, you should talk! Have you ever even seen a girl naked?"

"Sure, lots of times!"

"In person?"

"Well…" Joe grinned. "What do I need girls for? I have you."

"Damn straight!" Frank pinched Joe's nose. "Let's fuck first and then I'll call Nancy."

"Ok."

Afterward, Frank sat back on his heels, with Joe's feet still resting on his shoulders, and rubbed his hands up and down Joe's thighs. "All right, I think I'm prepared to face Nancy Drew," he said.

Joe laughed. "Oh, come on! She's not that bad. I kind of like her."

"She's as bad as Rose Waylon."

"No one is as bad as Rose Waylon!" Joe exclaimed with a shudder. "Just the sound of her name makes my balls suck up into my pelvis."

"I'm sure she'd be glad to suck them back down for you."

"I don't want that woman's mouth any where near my genitals!"

"You're such a fag!" Frank laughed.

"And damned proud of it!" Joe pulled his knees forward, swung his legs to the side and sat up. "So are you calling her or not?"

"Yes! Geez! Quit nagging!" Frank's cell phone was on the nightstand, next to the tube of lubricant. He sat on the edge of the bed and clicked through his list of contacts until he found Nancy's name.

"Truthfully, I'm kind of surprised you didn't erase her number," Joe said.

"She's a valuable contact," Frank replied, "even if she is a horny, undersexed bitch." He pushed the call button.

"Hello, Nancy? This is Frank Hardy." He held the phone away from his ear and Joe could easily hear her excited squeal.

"_Frank Hardy! I haven't heard from you in ages!_"

"Sorry this isn't a social call. I need to ask you about something." He held the phone at an angle and Joe moved closer so he could put his head next to Frank's and listen in.

"_What's up?_"

"A man from your father's office was killed recently. Darren Bolton. Can you tell me anything about it?"

"_Oh! Darren was an intern. He'd only been at Father's office for six months when he was killed._"

"I read an article about the murder. It said he'd been strangled and castrated. Was there anything else that might not have been reported?"

"_Yes. They found traces of the narcotic GHB in his blood._"

"GHB? The date rape drug?"

"_That's right. The police think he was with someone that night and the person killed him._"

"Do they have any clues?"

"_No. The assumption is he tried to drug and rape a woman and she attacked him._"

"But the article said he was strangled. Women don't usually strangle their victims. They tend to bludgeon. Men are stranglers."

"_I know. That's why I think he was with a man._"

"That's very interesting. Any theories about why Bolton was castrated?"

"_That one has me stumped. So what prompted you to call?_"

"My brother and I found a body in the woods near our house and I think there might be a connection to the Bolton murder."

"_Why's that?_"

"Because our victim had her vagina plugged up with resin."

"_Oh wow! So neither one of them could screw anymore!_"

"That's the conclusion we came to."

"_We should get together and compare notes._"

Frank put a hand over his face. "I agree. Are you busy today?"

"_No. Will you drive up?_"

"Yes. Why don't we meet for lunch at Nick's Coffee Shop?"

"_Sounds fine. About noon?_"

"Yeah, see you then."

"_Great! I'm looking forward to it. Bye!_"

Frank disconnected and looked mournfully at Joe. "You'll protect me from her, right?"

"Absolutely, big brother."


	4. Comparing Notes

**Warning**: This chapter contains adult language and incestuous homosexual situations.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 4: Comparing Notes

Nick's Coffee Shop was a local landmark in River Heights. Situated on Main Street, it was pretty much the place to meet if you were planning to get together with someone. Frank and Joe arrived at Nick's at 12:30 and found Nancy waiting out front. She was chatting pleasantly with an older woman, but as soon as she saw Frank's car, she excused herself and hurried over.

"Frank! It's so good to see you!" she cried.

"Hello, Nancy." Frank stepped out of the car and somewhat reluctantly returned Nancy's enthusiastic embrace.

Joe grinned at him behind Nancy's back. "You look good, Nancy," Joe said. "Have you been working out?"

Nancy turned to him with a delighted smile. "How sweet of you to notice, Joe!" She stepped back and twirled in a circle once to show off her trim figure. "I've been going to the gym," she said. She tossed her reddish-blond hair back over her shoulders and winked at them. "I have to stay in shape so I can outrun the bad guys!"

"Why don't we go in?" Frank suggested.

They entered the coffee shop and took a table near the back. Joe slid in first and Frank immediately sat next to him, leaving Nancy to sit alone facing them. A middle-aged waitress with gray streaks in her dark brown bun appeared almost immediately.

"Can I get you kids anything to drink?"

"I'll have a Coke, please," Nancy said.

"Me, too," said Joe.

"I'll have a root beer," Frank said.

The waitress went off to get the drinks and Frank leaned forward with his hands folded on the table in front of him.

"We don't really have any reason to connect our victim with Darren Bolton. It's just a hunch I have," Frank said in a quiet voice. "We're not even sure our victim was murdered, except that the plug I mentioned was inserted after she died."

Nancy leaned forward and put her hands on top of Frank's. "I think your hunch is a good one. No one's come up with a good reason why Darren's… member," she flushed, "was never found. Why would the killer take it?"

Frank sat back, sliding his hands out from under Nancy's. "It doesn't make much sense. The police didn't find any clues at the death scene?"

"No. Whoever killed him cleaned the place pretty thoroughly. There were hardly any fingerprints in the house at all, even Darren's." Nancy also sat back, a slightly disappointed look on her face.

The waitress returned with their drinks. "Do you know you want to eat, kids?"

"I'll have a Cobb salad with blue cheese dressing on the side," Nancy ordered.

"I'll have a cheeseburger and fries," Joe said.

"I'll have the same," Frank said.

"All right, that's one Cobb salad with blue cheese on the side and two cheeseburgers with fries." She wrote the order down and went behind the counter to turn it into the kitchen.

"Was Darren from this area originally?" Joe asked.

"Yes, he grew up in River Heights. He went away to college, but he moved back after he completed law school. I don't think his family lives in the area any more, though. His stuff is still at Dad's office."

"Really?" Frank was surprised. "The police didn't take it?"

"No. They went through it, but they said his family could pick it up. Dad called them, but no one's come by for it. I think Dad is planning to ship it to them."

"Do you think your dad would mind if we went through it?" Frank asked. "Our dad came up with Sheriff Becker to go to our victim's house with your police chief. Maybe when we compare notes with our dad later, something will click."

"I don't see why not," Nancy said. "Why don't we go over there after lunch?"

"Ok."

Joe glanced from Nancy to Frank and grinned wickedly. "So, Nancy, are you still dating that college guy, Ned something?"

"Nickerson. Ned Nickerson." Nancy frowned slightly. "Yes, Ned and I are still dating, although we don't get to see each other as much as I'd like. Ned has been carrying a lot of units the last few semesters."

"He must be pretty smart."

"Yes, he is." Nancy smiled, but it looked forced. "He graduates next year, though."

"He's not planning to go to grad school?"

Her smile became even stiffer. "He's been talking about it. He's thinking of a law career, like Dad."

"Wouldn't that be nice for you, if he ended up working for your Dad?"

"Yes, just great." She didn't sound terribly excited.

The conversation died as Frank and Nancy avoided looking at each other. Then the waitress returned with their food and conversation was no longer necessary. Frank picked up the tab when they were finished eating.

"Why don't you follow me over to Dad's office?" Nancy said as they were leaving. "It's not far."

"Sounds good," Frank said. He and Joe returned to his car. "What was with all the questions about her boyfriend?" he demanded as they followed behind Nancy's convertible.

"Just reminding her that she has one," Joe said with a grin. "I said I'd protect you from her, didn't I?"

Frank grinned back. "You're a good brother, Joseph."

"The best."

Carson Drew's office was in a fashionable building just off Main Street several blocks down from the coffee shop. It boasted a small parking lot of its own, instead of angle parking on the street. The boys parked next to Nancy and accompanied her inside. The receptionist smiled brightly when she saw Nancy.

"Hi, Nancy! How are you?"

"Fine, Ruth. Is Dad in?"

"Yes, I'll ring him for you." Ruth picked up her phone and punched a button. "Mr. Drew? Nancy is here to see you with some friends." She listened for a moment. "All right," she said and hung up. "He'll be right out."

"Thanks."

They only had to wait a moment before Carson Drew came out to greet them. "Hello, Nancy! I didn't expect you today. What's up?"

"Dad, do you remember Frank and Joe Hardy?" She indicated the two young men with her. "We were wondering if we could go through the box from Darren Bolton's office."

Carson frowned. "Why do you want to do that?"

"We found a body not too far from our house two days ago," Frank said. "When I read about Darren's murder on-line, something about it struck a chord with me. I just want to see if the two were connected in any way."

"Shouldn't that be a police matter?"

"Well," Frank said, "it's just a hunch. I don't want to waste the police's time if it turns out to be completely wrong."

Carson looked thoughtful. "I suppose there's no reason not to. Go ahead, but put everything back in the box when you're finished."

"Sure thing, Dad," Nancy said.

Carson returned to his office and Nancy led the way down the hall to the office Darren had used.

"Darren shared this office with another intern," Nancy told them, "but she didn't want to use it after Darren was killed. We shouldn't be interrupted." She closed the door behind them. "The box is on the desk there."

Frank went to the box and unfolded the lid. "That's not very much stuff," he said. He began removing the contents and laying the items out on the desk carefully. "I think it will be easier to examine everything if it's all spread out."

"That's a good idea," Nancy said. She stepped over to the desk and picked up a framed picture of two young men. She held it out so Frank and Joe could see it as she pointed at the dark-haired man on the right. "That's Darren. The other man I think was a friend of his from college."

"They seem mighty chummy," Joe said. He glanced at Frank with a slight grin.

Frank lifted an eyebrow and continued removing things from the box. "There, that's everything. What have we got?"

"A couple of pictures, some text books, a coffee mug, a grooming kit, a fancy pen set, a paperweight, two romance novels and a pack of condoms." Joe picked up the condoms. "This hasn't been opened. Seems like an odd thing to have in one's desk at work."

"For those lunch hour trysts, I guess," Frank said absently. He was going through the books. "Hey, this isn't a text book. It looks like a high school yearbook."

"Really?" Nancy said. She stepped next to Frank, so that her arm brushed against his as she looked at the book he was holding. "You're right. That's the River Heights Wildcats yearbook. They haven't changed the cover design in twenty years."

"That's weird," said Joe. "Why would he have his high school yearbook and not his college yearbook?"

"Maybe he liked high school better than college," Frank said. He flipped slowly through the pages.

"Stop!" Nancy said suddenly. "Go back." Frank turned the pages back slowly and after three pages, Nancy jabbed her finger at a picture on the right hand page. "It's Darren!"

"It's a picture of the debate team," Frank noted. He studied the picture closely. "Say, Joe! Does this look like our victim to you?"

Joe stepped up on Nancy's other side and leaned over to study the picture up close. "It sure does." He scanned the names underneath the picture. "It says her name is Evelyn T. Amberson."

"Amberson? Sheriff Becker said our victim's name was Tonya Amberson!"

"The T could stand for Tonya!" Nancy said excitedly. "There is a connection between them! They must have known each other if they were on the debate team together."

"Your hunch is starting to look pretty good, Frank," Joe said. "Nancy, we need to make a copy of this picture."

"Sure thing. The copy machine is just around the corner." She took the yearbook and left the two young men alone in the office.

"This is amazing!" Joe said. "Do you think it's possible the same person killed them?"

"It's possible, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions." Frank gazed at the other items on the desk. "River Heights is not that big a town. For two murder victims to have a connection in a place this size is not that remarkable. And we mustn't forget about the differences in the circumstances of their deaths. Although both victims were mutilated, Tonya was dumped in the woods, but Darren was left where he was killed."

"True. But, if anyone else from that picture turns up dead, I'm going to jump to a conclusion."

Frank smiled. "If that happens, I'll probably jump with you."

"Do you think we should tell the sheriff? Or the police chief?"

"I don't know. It's pretty circumstantial. I don't want to waste their time with something that might turn out to be just a coincidence." Frank pursed his lips. "But still, it's something. Let's tell dad when we all get back and he can decide if he wants to tell the sheriff."

"Ok."

Nancy returned waving two sheets of paper. "I made a couple of copies. I thought I might keep one for myself, just in case."

"That's a good idea." Frank took one of the sheets from her. "Maybe we could look up some of these people and see if any of them kept in touch with Darren or Tonya."

"I can do that," Nancy said. "I should be able to find them through the alumni committee at the high school."

"That'd be great." Frank folded the picture and put it in his pocket. "Let's pack this back up. I don't think we're going to find anything else." He and Joe started putting Darren's things back in the box.

Joe hesitated when he picked up the condoms. "Do you really think these need to go in there? I mean, what will his family think when they get this stuff?"

Frank nodded. "It does seem a little creepy."

"You're right," Nancy agreed. "Why don't you leave them in the desk drawer? I don't think Dad would mind."

Joe opened the top side drawer of the desk and dropped in the condoms. Then he pulled the drawer out further with a frown. "Was this Darren's desk?"

"Yes. Why?"

Joe reached into the back and pulled out another pack of condoms. "There are more back there. This guy must have been really busy."

Nancy stepped around the desk and looked into the drawer with a surprised expression. "That's really weird. He didn't strike me as the womanizing type." She frowned slightly. "He never flirted with me at all."

"Well, you are the boss' daughter," said Frank. "He was probably just being careful."

"I suppose so." Nancy didn't sound convinced.

Joe closed the drawer and Frank re-folded the flaps on the box.

"Let us know what you find out when you contact the people from the picture," Frank said to Nancy. "If it turns out that Darren and Tonya were still in touch, we'll have to tell both the sheriff and your police chief about it."

"I'll do that," Nancy said.

The three of them left the office and walked back out to the lobby.

"Are you leaving now, Nancy?" Ruth, the receptionist, asked.

"Yes, we're all finished. Tell Dad I'll see him at home tonight."

"All right."

Out in the parking lot, Nancy smiled at Frank. "I really appreciate your bringing me in on this investigation. I think this is going to be very interesting."

"Joe and I are glad to have your help. You have good instincts."

Nancy beamed. "Thank you! Well, I better go start making calls. I'll see you later." She hugged Frank impulsively and then waved to Joe as she walked to her car.

"You shouldn't compliment her like that," Joe said with a laugh. "She'll think you like her."

Frank grimaced. "Why can't she just be glad I appreciate her intelligence, like a normal girl?"

"Because she wants to jump your bones, big brother." Joe climbed into the car. "Let's go home. Looking at all those condoms made me want to get laid."


	5. The Connection

**Warning**: This chapter contains adult language and incestuous homosexual situations.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 5: The Connection

Fenton Hardy was not home when Frank and Joe got back from River Heights.

"Let's call him," Joe said. "I don't want to be right in the middle and have him pull up. I hate that."

"Me, too." Frank pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called Fenton's cell phone. "Hey, Dad, it's Frank. Joe and I were wondering when to expect you back. Uh-huh." He winked at Joe. "No, that's ok. Joe took some steaks out this morning. All right. See you later." He disconnected and grinned at Joe. "He and the sheriff are going to stay in River Heights and have dinner with Chief Jones. He'll fill us in on what they found at Tonya's place tomorrow. He said not to wait up for him because he expects to be late."

"I love it when a plan comes together!" Joe said with a delighted grin. "Let's go fuck!"

"Sounds good to me."

The boys went up to Frank's room.

"Do you suppose people wonder about us?" Joe asked as he pulled his shirt off over his head.

"What do you mean?" Frank plopped down on the bed to take off his shoes.

"Well, you haven't had a girlfriend since the eighth grade and I've never had one."

"Oh." Frank leaned back on his elbows and crossed his ankles. "I suppose some people might speculate, at least about our orientation. Does it bother you?"

"Not really, I just wonder." Joe kicked off his shoes and pulled his pants down. "But maybe if people gossiped about us, it would get Rose off my back."

"Rose doesn't want to be on your back," Frank smirked. "But I do!" He reached out, caught Joe by the wrist and yanked him down onto the bed.

Joe fell over, laughing, his feet tangled up in his pants. "Horny bastard!" he laughed. "At least let me finish stripping!"

"You're taking too long. I'm ready now."

"You don't even have your pants off."

"Details." Frank undid his trousers and pulled himself out through the flap in his underwear. He was clearly ready. He rolled Joe onto his side and pressed up against his back.

"Hang on!" Joe exclaimed. "What about lubricant?"

Frank wet two fingers in his mouth and stuck them into Joe. "How's this?"

"I'd prefer lube."

"Fine." Frank reached over his shoulder and pulled the nightstand drawer open. Joe hunched over to push his trousers the rest of the way off and Frank patted his bare bottom. "Why don't you stay like that?"

"Planning something interesting?"

"Maybe."

A long time later, when they were finished, Joe let out a satisfied sigh. "Boy, I sure am glad Dad stayed out tonight."

"Me, too." Frank stared up at the ceiling with his arms folded behind his head. "I'm hungry."

"So am I."

"You know what?" Frank said suddenly, "I think Darren Bolton was gay."

"Why's that?"

Frank rolled onto his side and faced Joe. "A guy who needs that many condoms isn't going to be all that discreet about his paramours. Nancy would have picked up on it even if he wasn't flirting with her. And she and I both think he was with a man that night."

"But if he was killed by a male lover, how would that connect him with Tonya Amberson's killer?"

"I'm not sure. We'll have to wait and see what Nancy finds out from talking to the other people in that picture." Frank sat up. "Let's go make dinner. I'm starved."

"Ok." Joe rolled off the bed onto his feet and picked up his underwear. "It's still pretty nice out. I think I'll grill the steaks."

"That sounds good. I'll skewer some asparagus and mushrooms and we can grill that, too."

"Yum."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Did you and the Hardy boys find anything in Darren's things?" Carson asked Nancy at dinner that night.

"Yes, we did, Dad!" Nancy answered. "We found a picture in his high school yearbook that had both Darren and the woman they found dead in it. We aren't sure if there's a connection between Darren's murder and her death, but it does look like they knew each other at one time."

"Well, River Heights isn't that large a town, Nancy," Carson said. "Anyone who graduated within a few years of each other probably knew each other."

"I know. But, still…" She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "It still seems odd that they'd die within a few weeks of each other under suspicious circumstances. I'm going to call some of the other people from the picture and see if Darren and the woman were still in touch."

"I suppose that can't do any harm. But if you find out anything, be sure to tell Chief Jones."

"I will."

Nancy returned to her room after dinner to look up the people in the picture in her phone book. She hit pay dirt immediately. Three of the eight people in the picture were listed. She picked up her cell phone to call the first one.

"_Hello?_"

"Hello, I'm calling Alice Carter."

"_This is she._"

"Miss Carter, my name is Nancy Drew. I was wondering if I might ask you a few questions."

"_What is this about? You're not selling something are you?_"

"No, I wanted to ask about some people you knew in high school, from the debate team."

"_Drew? Are you Carson Drew's daughter? Is this about Darren Bolton? We were on the debate team together._"

"Yes, this is about Darren. I was wondering if you also remember a woman named Evelyn Amberson."

"_Tonya? Of course I remember her. She was so smart. I always envied her. What about her?_"

"Were she and Darren friends? Did they still see each other?"

"_Oh, they were very close in high school. They had a little clique they hung out with, all smart kids. I don't know if they stayed friends after Darren went off to college. I lost touch with Tonya myself._"

"Do you remember the names of any of the others from their clique?"

"_Well, let's see… There was Julie Washburn, Kevin Brown, Lisa Delaney, Kimberly Watson and Jack Trowbridge. Julie got married right after graduation, but I think the others all went to college. I lost touch with them._"

Nancy grinned. "You've been a tremendous help Miss Carter. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me."

"_What's this all about, anyway?_"

"I'm just trying to find out what happened to Darren. I thought some of his friends might be able to help."

"_Oh, well good luck. It was terrible the way he died._"

"I agree. Thanks again."

"_You're welcome. Good night._"

"Good night, Miss Carter."

Nancy disconnected, still grinning. She couldn't believe her luck. Finding someone who knew Darren and Tonya on her first try was incredibly fortunate. But, she was methodical by nature, so she called the next person on her list anyway. It wouldn't hurt to see what additional information she could get.

Two hours later, Nancy sat back to look over the closely written page of notes her marathon of phone calls had produced. Two of the five people mentioned by Alice Carter were already on her list from the debate team picture; Lisa Delaney and Jack Trowbridge, but she did not have phone numbers for either of them. Nancy had gotten a phone number for Julie Washburn, who went by her married name, Baker, from the second person she called, but Julie was not home. Kevin Brown and Kimberly Watson had apparently moved away. But everyone Nancy spoke to had agreed on one thing: Darren had been part of a tight knit group of friends which included Tonya Amberson.

Nancy stared at her notes without seeing them. Had Darren and Tonya remained friends, or resumed their friendship when Darren returned to River Heights? No one had been able to answer that question. She needed to talk to one of their current friends to know that.

Nancy sighed. It had been nice seeing Frank Hardy again, but frustrating. He was so good-looking she couldn't help feeling attracted to him. He always made her feel vaguely aroused, which left her feeling guilty and frustrated. Ned was faithful to her, but Nancy was ready for a somewhat stronger indicator of his affection. But Ned was not picking up on any of her increasingly unsubtle hints. Maybe if he caught her in a clinch with another guy, he'd get jealous and want to prove his love, but Nancy suspected he would just be hurt and start moping.

"What's a girl to do when she's ready to go all the way and her guy isn't?" she wondered aloud. "I'm eighteen years old, for crying out loud!"

Carson knocked on her door. "Still up, Nancy?" He poked his head in.

"Yeah, Dad, but I'm about to turn in."

"Learn anything?"

"A little. I need to make a few more calls, and maybe visit a few people."

"Don't forget what I said about informing Chief Jones."

"I won't. Good night, Dad."

"Night, Nancy."

He shut the door and Nancy listened to his footsteps receding down the hall. _I wonder if Dad misses being married,_ she thought while she changed into her pajamas. She brushed her teeth, crawled into bed and lay there staring at the ceiling with the light on. _Do I want to get married? I don't know. Maybe I just want to get laid._ She rolled onto her side and turned out the lamp. _But at this rate, I'm going to end up an old maid! Dammit! Why isn't Ned interested in sex?_

Falling asleep was difficult that night because her thoughts kept returning to the handsome face and muscular build of Frank Hardy.

In the morning, Nancy met her friends George Fayne and Bess Marvin for breakfast at Nick's. George and Bess were already seated side by side in a booth, whispering about something. Bess blushed and giggled as Nancy slid into the booth opposite them.

"Good morning, Nancy!" Bess giggled. "I heard you saw Frank Hardy yesterday."

Nancy flushed. "Where did you hear that?"

"From my mom. She heard it from Ruth Barnes."

"Oh." Nancy frowned. Her father's secretary was such a gossip. "It was business. Frank and his brother came to ask for my help with an investigation they're working on."

"That's too bad." Bess giggled again. "Frank Hardy is awfully cute!"

"You think so?" George said. She leaned away from Bess and drummed her fingers on the table.

"He doesn't interest me!" Bess said quickly. She put her hand on top of George's. "I meant for Nancy."

"He doesn't interest me either," Nancy put in sharply. "I have a boyfriend, remember?"

"Of course," Bess said. "How is Ned?"

"He's fine!" Nancy grated. She picked up a menu and leaned over it. "What are you two having?" she asked, more than ready to change the subject.

"I'm just having tea and toast," Bess said. "I think I'm putting on weight again."

George patted her hand. "You look fine, Bess. I like the way you look with a little meat on your bones."

Bess pouted. "You make me sound like a prize cow."

"You know what I mean." George leaned close and whispered something in Bess' ear.

Bess flushed and began to giggle again. "You're so naughty!" she whispered back.

Nancy frowned as she tried not to watch them. In her opinion, her two friends were getting a little too obvious. "I think I'll have a Spanish omelet," she announced.

"That sounds good," said George. "I think I'll have that, too."

"So, what are you doing today, Nancy?" Bess asked over breakfast. "George and I are going to the gym this afternoon."

"I'll try to meet you there," Nancy said. "I have some errands I want to run this morning."

"For that investigation with the Hardy boys?"

"Yes."

Bess looked worried. "It's not dangerous, is it?"

"No. I just need to ask some people a few questions. It shouldn't take very long."

"Maybe we should go with you," George said. "Just to be on the safe side."

Nancy smiled. She could always count on her friends. "That would be great!"


	6. Another Victim

**Warning**: This chapter contains adult language and implied incestuous and homosexual situations.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 6: Another Victim

"I'm trying to locate people who used to know Darren Bolton, the intern from my father's office who was murdered a few weeks ago," Nancy said. Nancy, George and Bess rode in Nancy's car with the top down. It was a pleasant day, with no sign of rain in the forecast. "The Hardy boys found a woman's body a few days ago, who also might have been murdered, and it turns out she and Darren were friends in high school."

"You think their murders might be connected?" George asked.

"That's what we're trying to find out."

"So who is this person we're going to see?"

"Her name is Julie Baker. She used to be good friends with Darren and the dead woman, Tonya Amberson. I tried to call her last night, but she wasn't home. But since she lives right in town, I thought I'd stop by. Here it is."

Nancy pulled over and stopped. They were in a neatly groomed residential suburb of single family homes. No one had fences here. Each yard just ran into the next.

"Why don't we wait here?" George said. "There's no reason to gang up on her."

"That's a good idea," Nancy agreed. "This shouldn't take long." She got out of the car as George moved into the back seat to sit with Bess. George put her arm around Bess' shoulders and they leaned their heads close together. Nancy looked away quickly, but not before she saw Bess take George's other hand in both of hers.

Julie Baker's house had a small porch only two steps higher than the front walk. It was just wide enough for two small potted plants sitting on either side of the door. Nancy rang the doorbell and waited. After a few minutes she rang the doorbell again. She heard a scratching sound on the inside of the door and the plaintive meow of a cat, but nothing else.

"I don't think Julie's home, Miss," a woman's voice called.

Nancy stepped back from the door and saw an older woman in a flowered sunhat at the edge of the yard, a pair of pruning shears in one hand.

"Does she work?" Nancy asked.

"Yes, but I think she might be on a trip or something. I haven't seen her for about a week now. She does like to travel." A concerned look crossed the woman's face. "She usually asks me to feed her cat, though, when she leaves town, so I'm not sure."

Nancy frowned. "I heard a cat just now when I rang the doorbell." She looked back at the door. "When did you last see her?"

"It would have been last Sunday, after church. She was complaining about all the rain causing mildew on her roses."

Nancy stepped up to the door again. It had ornamental stained glass embedded near the top. She stood on her tiptoes and tried to look through, but she couldn't see anything. _Something's not right here_, she thought to herself. She left the porch and stepped around to the living room window. She had to push a little to lean through the neatly trimmed bushes in front of the window, but she could see in.

"Oh, shit!" she exclaimed and immediately dug for her phone in her purse.

"What is it?!" the neighbor woman cried in alarm.

"I think she's dead!" Nancy answered as she dialed 911.

"_River Heights Emergency Dispatch._"

"I need to speak to the police," Nancy said quickly. "I think someone might be dead."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I hope talking about dead people over breakfast doesn't become a habit," Joe said cheerfully. He was scrambling eggs. "Can you check the toast, Frank?"

"Sure."

Fenton came into the kitchen looking tired. "Morning, boys."

"Good morning, Dad," Joe said. "There's fresh coffee in the pot over there."

"Good." Fenton poured himself a cup.

"What did you find out at Tonya's place yesterday, Dad?"

Fenton took a seat at the table as Joe brought him a plate of bacon and eggs. Frank brought the toast to the table and sat down as Joe set another plate in front of him. Joe poured coffee for himself before bringing his own plate to the table and taking a seat.

Fenton sipped his coffee before answering. "It seems Miss Amberson was something of a party girl. Not wild, just a regular club-goer. Her neighbors said every now and then she'd bring a man home for the night. They think she might have brought someone home the night she died. No one heard anything unusual. No one saw them leave. Her home was too clean though. No fingerprints anywhere, not even hers."

Frank and Joe looked at each other. "Like Darren Bolton's place," Frank said.

"Who?" Fenton asked.

"Darren Bolton. He was a lawyer up in River Heights. He was murdered in his home a couple of weeks ago and his place was wiped clean, too."

Fenton regarded the boys in surprise. "Why were you checking on him?"

"He was castrated after he was murdered," Frank said. "It just struck me as kind of similar to Tonya having her vagina plugged up. I wanted to check up on it a little more before I said anything. We went up to River Heights yesterday and found out that he and Tonya did used to know each other. We met with Nancy Drew, and she was going to do a little more checking and get back to us."

Fenton stared at them. "When were you planning to tell Sheriff Becker?" He sounded annoyed.

"As soon as we had something concrete," Frank replied calmly. "I didn't want to waste anyone's time on any more of my hunches unless it panned out."

"I suppose that makes sense." Fenton didn't sound convinced. "Well, I think you had better head over to the sheriff's office after breakfast and tell him what you know."

"We can do that if you want, Dad, but I think I'd rather talk to Nancy first and see what she finds out. It might turn out to be nothing but a coincidence."

Fenton looked from one to the other with a slight frown on his face. "I don't want you boys doing your own investigation. Murder is a police matter."

"We know, Dad. We'll talk to the sheriff just as soon as we know something definite." Frank piled eggs onto his toast and took a big bite.

Joe sipped his coffee.

Fenton continued to frown as he finished his breakfast.

"You'd better get a move on, Joe," Frank said. "You don't want to be late for school. I'll drop you off."

"Thanks," Joe downed the rest of his coffee and took the last of his toast with him. "I just need to brush my teeth and get my backpack."

"Ok."

Fenton sat back and looked at Frank. "You boys seem to be doing ok without your mother."

"We miss her, Dad, if that's what you're asking," Frank said. "But school and chores still have to get done."

"True, but… You should have been away at college by now."

"I'll go next year, with Joe. With you working most of the time, he needs someone around the house. I don't mind looking after him." Frank started clearing the table. "Maybe it's time you started dating," he said casually.

Fenton started. "What? No. I'm not ready for that yet. I… still have issues."

"Whatever you say, Dad." Frank piled the dishes in the sink. "I've gotta get Joe to school. See you later."

Frank met Joe by the front door.

"What's up with, Dad?" Joe muttered. "He seems out of sorts this morning."

"He missed his AA meeting."

"Oh." Joe shouldered his backpack. "I hope he's out this afternoon so we can have a little you-and-me time."

"He should be. He's got clients he needs to see."

"Good."

As Frank backed out of the driveway, he suddenly slammed on the brakes and swore.

"Someone coming?"

"No, I just thought of something." Frank backed out into the street and shifted into drive. "Darren was probably gay and most likely doing the club scene, judging by all the condoms we found. Tonya was also doing the club scene, but she was straight. They might still have been friends, but they certainly wouldn't have been dating, or even hitting the bars together."

"But if the same person killed them…" Joe began

"Either the killer was bisexual," Frank stated, "or the killings weren't sexually motivated. I'm going to see the coroner after I drop you off. We need to know if Tonya had intercourse before she died."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nancy rubbed her eyes. She was mortally tired. George had taken Bess home in Nancy's car, so Nancy was stuck here until the police decided to take her home. She wasn't sure what it was about police questioning that was so exhausting, but she felt like she'd just spent an hour on the Stairmaster.

"So, Nancy, can you explain again what brought you to Ms. Baker's residence?" Chief Jones managed to sound polite and annoyed with her at the same time.

"Like I said," Nancy began again, "I was checking up on people who used to be friends with Darren Bolton. Julie Baker's name was on my list. I tried to call her, but she didn't answer, so I decided to drop by. Her neighbor said she hadn't seen her. I looked in the living room window and saw the body on the floor."

"And where did you get this list of names?"

"From Darren's high school yearbook, mostly."

Chief Jones put on a patient smile. "I'm still not sure why you felt it was necessary to interfere in a police investigation."

Nancy bristled. "Interfere? I was not aware that you were checking on Darren's high school friends." She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "Maybe you should have been," she added in an angry undertone.

His polite smile slipped a little. "What specifically led you to look up Ms. Baker?" He began making neat little notes in his notebook.

"I heard from a couple of other people that she, Darren and Tonya Amberson used to be good friends."

Chief Jones looked up in surprise. "How do you know about Tonya Amberson?"

"Frank Hardy told me about her."

"Frank Hardy? Fenton Hardy's son?"

"That would be him."

Now Chief Jones' smile disappeared completely. "I will not tolerate amateur sleuths poking about in a police matter. I will speak to Sheriff Becker about the Hardys. I expect you to keep your nose out of this business as well, or I will be forced to speak to your father."

Nancy's glare darkened. "Of course, Chief Jones. It was never my intention to _interfere_ in a police investigation. Perhaps I should just get out of your way right now. I could use a ride home."

Chief Jones beckoned to a uniformed officer standing near the door. "Officer Bowman, will you please drive Miss Drew home?"

"Yes, sir!" The young officer saluted sharply and stepped aside so Nancy could walk ahead of him.

As she stepped into the hall from the living room, though, Nancy paused. There were several framed diplomas and certificates hanging on the wall, but one of the frames was empty. She touched the empty frame curiously and pulled her finger back with a startled yelp.

"Are you all right, Miss Drew?" Officer Bowman asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Nancy stuck her finger in her mouth as she stared at the frame. Now she could see the jagged edges of the glass just protruding from the frame, with small shreds of paper behind them. Someone had smashed the glass and torn whatever was behind it out of the frame. Nancy looked at the floor. There was no broken glass on the floor. She glanced back at the covered body still lying in the middle of the living room.

Julie Baker's throat had been slashed, probably with a piece of broken glass, although the murder weapon had not been found. Nancy looked back at the frame. _What was here?_ she wondered. _And why did the killer take it?_

The officer cleared his throat and Nancy started walking again. She needed to call Frank Hardy. They definitely had a serial killer on their hands.


	7. What Next?

**Warning**: This chapter contains mature subject matter.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 7: What Next?

Frank knocked on the open door of the coroner's small lab, which also served as her office. "Dr. Chambers, do you have a minute?"

The coroner looked up from her desk with a harried expression, but she smiled when she saw Frank. "I can spare a few for you, Frank," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm still curious about that body we found," Frank said. He walked in and sat on the corner of the desk. "Do you know yet if she was sexually active the night she died?"

"It doesn't look like it. At least, I'm about ninety percent sure she didn't have intercourse, anyway." Dr. Chambers leaned back and put her feet up on the desk. "Do you have any hunches? I find yours are usually better than Tom's."

Frank smiled. "Thanks! As it happens, I'm looking into a possible connection with a murder that happened in River Heights a few weeks ago."

Oh, really? What's the connection?"

"The guy was castrated after he was killed."

Dr. Chambers dropped her feet to the floor with a thump. "No kidding? That's quite interesting."

"I thought so, too. Especially once we found out he went to school with Tonya Amberson."

"Does the sheriff know this?"

"Not yet. I was planning to talk to him this afternoon, after I talk with Nancy Drew. She's checking on a few things for me."

"Well, don't wait too long."

"I won't." Frank grinned and stood up. "My dad's pestering me about it, too. Thanks for the information, Doctor. I'll let you and Sheriff Becker know what I find out."

"You do that."

Frank left the coroner's office and headed back to his car. _So Tonya didn't have sex before she died,_ Frank thought, _but Darren probably did. So, if the same person killed them, it probably wasn't because of sex._ He pulled out his phone and rang Nancy's number. Her answering machine picked up immediately, indicating her phone was off.

_That's weird_, Frank thought as he waited for her answer message to finish. _Nancy used to say she'd die if her phone ran out of power during the day._ The phone beeped and Frank left a message. "Hi, Nancy, this is Frank. I was just calling to see if you learned anything following up your leads. Call me back when you can." He disconnected and stared thoughtfully at the phone. "Nancy's never out of touch. Something's wrong."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The police car turned into the Drews' driveway and stopped.

"Here you go, Miss Drew."

"Thanks, Officer." Nancy stepped out of the cruiser and waved as the patrolman backed out and drove away. Her car was parked in the driveway, so she was not surprised when Bess and George burst out of the front door of her home and hurried toward her.

"Are you all right, Nancy?" Bess asked worriedly.

"That took an awfully long time," George added.

"You know what Chief Jones is like," Nancy replied tiredly. "He had to ask every question three times and still act like I was trying to hide something. Let's go in. I need a cold drink."

"Chief Jones is such a jerk!" George declared angrily. "Chief Henderson was much better."

"Yeah, he respected you," Bess agreed.

"I know. But Jones is the one we're stuck with."

They went into the house. George and Bess followed Nancy into the kitchen, where she grabbed a soft drink out of the fridge.

"Do you want a glass?" Bess asked, opening a cupboard.

"No thanks." Nancy popped the top and took a long drink. "That's better. Do either of you want one?" Both girls shook their heads, so Nancy closed the door and took another drink. "Let's go in the living room. I need to put my feet up."

The three girls went to the living room, where Nancy collapsed into her dad's recliner and raised the footrest. Then she shifted around for a moment to slip her arms out of her purse, which she was wearing backpack-style, and dropped it on the floor beside the chair. George and Bess sat close together on the couch.

"So was that the woman you were looking for?" George asked.

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Bess exclaimed suddenly. "Ned called. He was worried because your phone was off."

"Dammit, that's right!" Nancy swore as she reached for her purse and dug her phone out. "That bastard Jones insisted I turn it off." She turned it on and then swore again as the screen came to life. "Five missed calls! Five! Stupid, arrogant…" She trailed off, still calling Chief Jones names as she retrieved her messages.

Only three of the missed calls had left messages. The first two were from Ned: one to ask her out next weekend and the second expressing concern about her phone still being off.

The third message was from Frank Hardy.

Nancy swore again. "I missed a call from Frank!" she growled. She listened to the message. "I need to call him back. You guys don't mind, do you?"

"No, go ahead," Bess replied.

Nancy punched Frank's number.

"_Hello Nancy. I see you've got your phone back on. What's up?_"

Nancy couldn't help smiling. "It seems like everyone knows me too well when it comes to my phone." But then she got serious. "Tonya and Darren did know each other. They were among a close group of friends in high school. This morning I went to see another one of their friends and found her dead in her living room. She'd been murdered about a week ago."

"_You're kidding?!_" Frank sounded stunned.

"I wish I was. The police grilled me for four hours. They acted like I'd killed her, not that I found her body."

"_How was she killed? Was she mutilated like Tonya?_"

"Her throat was slashed, probably with a piece of glass, which I think came from a picture frame I found broken. But no murder weapon was found and there was no broken glass anywhere. There was no blood either. My housekeeper couldn't get a place that clean. But I don't know if we'll be able to get the coroner's report. Chief Jones is pissed at me; for 'interfering', he says. He said he would speak to Sheriff Becker about you. I hope I haven't gotten you in trouble, too."

"_Don't worry about it. Sheriff Becker and I get along just fine. I'll tell him everything we know when I see him. You better give me all the details._"

Nancy proceeded to tell Frank everything she had learned since talking to him last. He listened carefully and only occasionally stopped her to ask questions. Nancy felt a little wrung out when she was finished.

"_Nancy, that's great! I can't believe you got that much that fast._" His voice took on an urgent tone. "_We need to find the rest of the people from Darren and Tonya's group. I think they might be in danger._"

"You may be right about that," Nancy agreed.

"_And next time you're going to see someone, call me. I'll go with you._"

"I'll do that." Nancy smiled again at the warm feeling his statement caused. "Talk to you later. Bye." She disconnected.

"So I take it he was pleased," George said.

"Yup." Nancy sipped her drink. "Now I'm really parched."

"Shouldn't you call Ned?" Bess asked.

"In a minute." Nancy closed her eyes and reclined a little further. "I'm ready to stop talking for a while."

George and Bess exchanged a glance.

"Should we stay for dinner?" asked George.

"You probably shouldn't." Nancy sighed. "I'm sure Chief Jones will have talked to Father by then. No doubt we'll end up having a 'discussion'." She made quote marks with her fingers.

"Ok, we'll take off then. See you tomorrow?"

"Definitely. I need to hit the gym."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Frank picked Joe up after school so he could fill him in on what he'd learned from Nancy.

"Wow!" Joe exclaimed. "She sure does work fast!"

"Nancy's a good detective, whatever else one may choose to think of her. Anyway, I think it's time to talk to the sheriff. Three high school friends being murdered within weeks of each other is too suspicious to keep to ourselves."

"True," Joe agreed. "But what about the empty picture frame? Is that worth mentioning?"

Frank thought for a moment. "No, not right now. For all we know the victim broke it herself and just left the frame on the wall to cover up a light spot."

"All right."

Frank drove to the sheriff's office.

As they walked in, Joe heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness!" he whispered to Frank. "Rose isn't on duty."

Frank just smiled as he addressed the deputy on duty, Burt Waverly.

"Afternoon, Burt. Is the sheriff in?"

"Hey Frank, Joe." Burt nodded a leisurely greeting. "Sheriff's pretty busy right now. Is it important?"

"Yeah. We have more information about that body we found."

Burt's eyes lit up with excitement. "That was something! Finding a body just lying there in the woods like that! It must've been real creepy!"

Frank tried not to laugh at Burt's rather comical expression. "It was definitely out of the ordinary."

"Well, hang on a second, I'll tell Tom you're here." Burt went into the back and knocked on the sheriff's office door. He stuck his head in, spoke for a second, and then came back to the front desk. "Sheriff says come on back; he wants to talk to you anyway."

"Great. Thanks, Burt."

Burt had left the door open, so Frank and Joe went right in.

"Shut the door, Joe," Tom said. "I'm glad you boys came by today. I needed to speak to you," he continued as they took seats in front of his desk. "What's this about you and Nancy Drew interfering in an investigation up in River Heights?"

Frank shook his head and smiled disarmingly. "We weren't interfering, Sheriff. I read about a murder in River Heights that struck me as really odd, and it turned out the victim worked for Nancy's father, Carson Drew. So we went to see Nancy and she took us to her dad's office. We looked through the victim's effects that were still in his office and found a picture of the victim and Tonya Amberson together, in his high school yearbook."

Tom's eyes widened. "When was this?"

"Yesterday. Nancy did a little more investigating about that picture and this morning she went to see a woman that she thought was a friend of theirs. Nancy found the woman dead. She'd been dead for a week." Frank shrugged. "Apparently, the River Heights police chief was a little unhappy that Nancy had found the body and thought she was interfering with his investigation of the other murder. But she was really helping me out about Tonya."

"I wish you'd told me all this sooner, Frank," Tom said. He frowned slightly. "This information could be very useful."

"Or it could have meant nothing." Frank leaned forward. "Look, Sheriff, I didn't say anything about it before now because we could just as easily have found nothing. No connection to Tonya Amberson."

"Well, that's true, I suppose…"

"And I didn't want to waste your time on a false lead." Frank tried to sound very earnest. "But as soon as I talked to Nancy, I came right over."

Tom nodded slowly, and then he smiled. "You've got real good instincts, Frank. Chief Jones does tend to get a little territorial when it comes to police matters, but I don't mind a little quality amateur help."

Frank smiled. "Thanks, Sheriff."

"Well, then, why don't you fill me in?" He grabbed a pencil and a notepad and leaned forward expectantly.

"All right," Frank said. "The other victim was named Darren Bolton…" he began.


	8. A Little Teamwork

**Warning**: This chapter contains adult language and incestuous homosexual situations.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 8: A Little Teamwork

Unfortunately, Joe and Frank did not get home until dinnertime and Fenton was already there, working in his study.

"Damn!" Joe muttered. "I was hoping to get a little screwing in this afternoon."

Frank patted his arm. "Don't sweat it. He's going to that AA meeting tonight, remember?"

"I thought his meeting was last night and he missed it."

"Yeah, but I keep the schedules for all the local AA organizations handy. There's a meeting in River Heights tonight. He'll go up for it and use it as an opportunity to visit Chief Jones."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. Let's get dinner started."

"I'll do it," Joe said.

"No, you've got homework." Frank grinned. "If you want free time later, you better get it done."

"That's blackmail!" Joe laughed.

"Damn right!"

Joe got his backpack and pulled out his textbooks. "I've got math, history and economics. I hate econ."

"It's good for you."

"Not as good as a nice fuck would be."

"I'll agree with that, but you still have to do it."

"Great," Joe grumbled sarcastically.

Joe did his homework while Frank made dinner. Fenton came in from his study while they were working.

"What's for dinner?" Fenton asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Cornish game hens and artichokes. I made pesto sauce for the artichokes."

"Sounds good. Did you talk to Sheriff Becker?"

"Yes, we did. We told him everything we've learned in the last few days. It may not mean anything, but maybe it will help."

"Good." Fenton gave the boys a stern look. "Now you stay out of the Sheriff's way. It's one thing if he asks for help, but you shouldn't go off investigating on your own."

"Of course, Dad. We know that." Frank gave his father one of those we-would-never-do-anything-we-shouldn't smiles.

Fenton looked doubtful. Then he cleared his throat. "Well, I think I might run up to River Heights this evening for a few hours after dinner," he said with forced casualness. "I expect you boys will be in bed by the time I get back."

Frank grinned at Joe behind Fenton's back. "Ok, Dad. Joe, clear your things off and set the table. Dinner's almost ready."

"Sure thing."

Fenton left right after dinner, leaving the boys to clean up.

"I've still got a little homework to do," Joe said mournfully.

"That's just as well. I want to get Nancy on instant messenger for a few minutes so I can get the names of the people she's investigating. I'll do that while you finish." He patted Joe on the top of the head. "Come up when you're done."

Frank headed upstairs and turned his computer on. He called Nancy while it booted up.

"_Hello?_"

"Hi Nancy, it's Frank."

"_Hi Frank! What's up? How'd it go with the Sheriff?_"

"No problem. Like I said, he and I get along just fine. I told him everything we've found so far, but I want to do a little more investigating. That empty picture frame of yours really has me curious."

"_Me, too. I was thinking of going back to talk to Julie's neighbor. The woman told me she fed Julie's cat for her when she was away, so maybe she would know what was in that frame._"

"Good idea. Hey, what instant messenger are you on? I'd like to get your list of names." It took a few minutes, but then Frank and Nancy got an IM session going and Nancy typed in the names and locations of all the people she'd found. Frank diligently pasted them into another document. "I think talking to Julie's neighbor is a good idea, but if you don't mind, I'd like to go with you."

"_That's no problem. Can you drive up tomorrow?_"

"Yes. We also need to locate the rest of the people from Darren and Tonya's clique. You said Kevin Brown and Kimberly Watson moved away?"

"_That's what it looks like. I think the other two, Lisa Delaney and Jack Trowbridge might still live in town, but they're not listed in the phone book and no one I talked to was still in touch with either of them._"

"Ok. Why don't you try to find those two, and I'll see what I can find out about the ones who left town."

"_All right. See you tomorrow. What time do you think you'll get here?_"

"I'll shoot for around eleven a.m."

"_Great. See you then._"

Nancy disconnected and logged out of the IM session.

Frank did the same. He immediately started a web search for Jack and Kimberly.

Joe came into Frank's room shortly after. "Homework's done," he announced. He flopped down on Frank's bed. "How's Nancy?"

"Fine." Frank stared at the screen. "This is weird. I found a ton of references to Kimberly Watson, but I'm not sure it's the person I'm looking for."

"Why's that?"

"Apparently, there's a porn star named Kim Watson who's done dozens of hard-core sex videos. The video producer is local, though, so it could be her. And the pictures look kind of like her. Come look."

Joe got up and leaned over Frank's shoulder to study the screen. Then he picked up the picture they had copied from Darren's yearbook and squinted at it. "Got a magnifying glass?"

"Yeah." Frank fished one out of his desk drawer and handed it to Joe.

Joe studied Kimberly's picture through the magnifying glass and then looked at the porn star on the computer monitor again. "I think it's the same person. The hair's different, but the face looks the same."

Frank frowned. "That's what I thought." He sat back and crossed his arms. "I have no idea how to get in contact with her."

"Can't we just call her producer?"

"Oh, like he's going to just give out information about one of his stars to possible sex perverts."

"We might be sex perverts, but at least we aren't interested in her that way." Joe grinned and Frank laughed.

"Still," Frank said, "I don't think it will be that easy." He turned in his chair to face Joe. "I haven't been able to find anything promising on the other one: Kevin Brown. But I don't feel like looking any more right now. Let's go to bed."

"Finally!" Joe exclaimed. He began taking off his clothes. "I was starting to think you're more interested in a bunch of dead people."

Frank smiled. "Never, little brother. This one just has me stumped, that's all."

"And you hate not knowing what's going on."

"It's a character flaw, I admit it."

"Well, come to bed and indulge your other character flaw for a while."

Frank stood up and began undressing as well. Joe crawled into Frank's bed and stretched out on his back. Frank got in with him when he was naked and draped himself across Joe's body.

"I'm going up to do a little investigating with Nancy tomorrow. I probably won't get back in time to pick you up from school," Frank said.

Joe wrapped his legs around Frank's hips. "Planning a little dalliance?"

Frank wrinkled his nose. "Hardly. It's business. We're going to try to find out what was in the broken frame Nancy saw."

"Do you want me to search for Kevin Brown when I get home?"

"That would be good."

"Ok. Now, if you don't mind, I've been waiting for this all day."

Frank laughed softly and kissed Joe on the nose. "So have I," he murmured and reached for the lubricant.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nancy was excited and not because she had a date with Ned on Saturday. Frank was coming to see her and since it was a school day, he would probably be alone. Nancy was looking forward to the opportunity to spend a little time alone with Frank Hardy. She spent the morning at the gym with George and Bess, but she did not tell them she was meeting Frank later. They would just give her a hard time about it and she wasn't in the mood to deal with that. She made sure she was back at the house before eleven, showered and dressed in one of her most flattering outfits. Leggings and a form-fitting, scoop-necked t-shirt showed off her figure quite well, and Nancy wasn't above a little advertising, on occasion. When the doorbell rang, she had to force herself to walk to the door sedately.

"Hello Frank," she greeted him serenely, hoping like hell that her cheeks didn't look as flushed as they felt.

"Hi, Nancy." If he noticed her cleavage, he didn't show it. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, let me grab my purse. I'll drive, since I know where we're going."

"Ok."

"Were you able to find Jack Trowbridge or Lisa Delaney last night?" Frank asked as they drove to Julie Baker's neighborhood.

"No, but I may have a lead on Lisa. One of the people I talked to said she knew an old boyfriend of Lisa's and would see if he had a current number for her."

"Good." Frank drummed his fingers on the car door. "I'm really starting to worry that we're going to find another corpse."

They pulled up in front of Julie Baker's neighbor's house. Yellow police tape was still strung across the front door of Julie's house. Nancy led the way up to the neighbor's door and rang the bell. A moment later, the door opened to reveal the same elderly woman Nancy remembered, her gray hair twisted into a neat bun on the top of her head.

"Oh, you're the young lady from yesterday!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, I am," Nancy said. "My name is Nancy Drew. This is my friend Frank Hardy. We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about Julie Baker, Ms…?"

"I'm Mrs. Reddy," the woman said. "Please, come in." She held the door open for them. Nancy and Frank entered and she closed the door behind them. "Please, come through here." Mrs. Reddy led them into her neat, spotless living room. "Have a seat. May I get you something to drink? I have fresh lemonade."

"Lemonade sounds great, Mrs. Reddy," Frank said.

"All right. One moment please." She bustled out of the room.

Frank leaned toward Nancy. "I bet the police talked to her already. We should find out what they asked her, if possible."

"Right."

Mrs. Reddy returned with three tall glasses of lemonade on a tray. "I love fresh lemonade!" she said brightly. "I make it myself. I hope you like it."

Frank and Nancy each took a glass and sipped it.

"It's very good, Mrs. Reddy," Frank said.

She beamed happily. "Thank you!" Then her smile faded. "But you said you wanted to ask me about poor Julie."

"Yes," Nancy said. "You told me before that you fed her cat for her when Ms. Baker traveled. Have you been in her house very often?"

"Oh, yes, I looked after the place whenever Julie was away." Mrs. Reddy looked unhappy. "The poor dear! I feel just terrible that she was lying there all that time and I didn't know."

"Ms. Baker had several diplomas hanging in her front hall," Nancy said. "Did you ever look at them?"

"Well, not closely. I used to dust them."

Nancy sat forward and set her glass down on a coaster. "There was one near the end close to the door about this big." She held her hands up, about eighteen inches apart. "It had a black metal frame. Do you remember what was in it?"

"Near the end? In a black metal frame?" Mrs. Reddy frowned in concentration for a moment. "Do you mean her high school certificate? From her club? I think that was the only one in a metal frame. The rest were all wood."

"Yes!" Nancy confirmed excitedly. "What was the certificate for?"

Mrs. Reddy flushed. "Oh, it was silly, really. Julie used to say that she kept it as a joke." When Nancy and Frank both continued to stare at her expectantly, Mrs. Reddy continued, a little flustered. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter now, does it? It was a celibacy certificate. Julie and several of her friends from high school swore a pledge to remain virgins until marriage and they had these fancy certificates made up to commemorate their commitment. Julie said that at the time they were all very serious about it, but it seemed so silly in retrospect."

Frank and Nancy exchanged a startled stare.

"I assume you spoke to the police, Mrs. Reddy," Frank said. "Did they ask you about the certificate?"

"Heavens, no! They just wanted to know when I saw Julie last and if I had seen anyone at her house recently." Mrs. Reddy shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid I was of little help to them."

"Well, you've been a tremendous help to us, Mrs. Reddy," Nancy said. "Thank you so much for your time!"

"Yes, thank you very much," Frank echoed.

At Mrs. Reddy's insistence, they finished their lemonade before leaving, but they made their goodbyes and got back out to the car as quickly as they could. Once there, they stared at each other in amazement.

"A celibacy pledge!" Frank exclaimed.

"And both Darren and Tonya were mutilated so they could no longer have sex, aside from being murdered," Nancy added.

"Neither one was married," Frank said. "They both broke their pledge."

"But Julie was married!" Nancy objected. "Why was she killed?"

"I don't know." Frank stared at the police tape blocking access to Julie's front door. "We have to talk to someone from that group. We have got to find one of the others."

"We have to find them all and warn them," Nancy said gravely. "Or they may all end up dead."


	9. Too Little Too Late?

**Warning**: This chapter contains adult language and incestuous homosexual situations.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 9: Too Little Too Late?

"Where's Frank, Joe?" Fenton asked. He had come back early from the office and found Joe home alone finishing his homework.

"He went up to River Heights to see Nancy Drew."

"Oh really? What for?"

Joe pretended to be focused on his homework. "I think they wanted to compare notes about the case, just to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything that the Sheriff should know about."

"I see." Fenton sounded a little suspicious.

"I'm sure he has his phone," Joe said casually. "You can call him and find out when he's getting back. I was hoping to use his computer for a little while anyway."

"No, it's not that important." Fenton went to his study and closed the door.

Joe finished his homework and went to Frank's room to do a web search on Kevin Brown. He was not surprised to find a large number of hits on such a common name, even when he included River Heights in the keyword search. He settled down to read his way through them.

Frank returned just as he was finishing the last page of hits.

"Did you find anything on Kevin Brown?"

"I know more about Kevin Brown than I ever wanted to," Joe said tiredly. "Unfortunately, I think I've been reading about two hundred different guys. Any one of them could be the guy we want."

"I was afraid of that."

"What did you and Nancy find out?"

"You'll love this!" Frank sat down cross-legged on the bed. "Julie Baker signed a celibacy pledge. She and a bunch of friends from high school swore to remain virgins until marriage."

Joe stared in amazement. "No way!"

Frank nodded. "Yup. That's what the neighbor lady said was in the missing frame: Julie's celibacy certificate."

"I'll be damned!" Joe leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "It all makes sense. Darren and Tonya didn't keep the pledge and someone made sure they couldn't go on breaking it."

"That would be my guess. But I'm not sure how Julie Baker fits into this. She was married."

"But maybe she broke the pledge before she got married."

"Maybe." Frank shrugged. "Nancy and I agreed that we have to find the other people in Darren and Tonya's group. We're going to have to try to contact Kimberly Watson."

Joe nodded. "Given her choice of career, it's obvious she's broken her pledge pretty severely."

"I'll say. Let's look for a number for her producer and I'll try to think of something to say if we do manage to get in touch with someone."

There was a knock on the door and Fenton stepped in without waiting for a response. "I thought I heard you come in Frank. How did your meeting with Nancy go?"

"Fine, Dad." Frank glanced at Joe. "We're trying to keep out of the way of the official investigation."

"That's good." Fenton looked from Frank to Joe and back again. "I don't want you boys to think I don't trust you, but we private investigators depend on our relationships with law enforcement officials. It's important not to alienate them."

"We understand, Dad," Frank said. "Are you going out tonight?"

"No." Fenton looked uncomfortable. "My group is having a social tonight, but I don't think I'm up for that."

Frank sat up. "Dad, if you don't get back on the horse, you're never going to ride again."

A panicked look crossed Fenton's face. "I'm doing just fine the way I am. I don't need to date."

"It's not a date, it's a social." Frank stood up and put a reassuring hand on Fenton's shoulder. "It's just a group of people getting together to talk and have a good time. No pressure. I think you should go. Don't you agree, Joe?"

"Absolutely! You were having a lot of fun at that sobriety night, the night we found the body, weren't you?"

"That was different…"

"Why?" Joe stood up and put a hand on Fenton's other shoulder. "It's only different in your mind, Dad. Go to the social."

"Well…"

"Go!" Frank and Joe ordered in unison.

"All right," Fenton said, a little meekly.

The boys helped him get ready and ushered him to his car.

"Have a good time!" Frank called.

"And don't hurry back!" Joe added.

Fenton backed out into the street and drove away, still looking a little panicked.

"I didn't think we'd be able to get rid of him," Frank said.

"Me neither," Joe agreed. Then he grinned at Frank. "You wanna fuck first or eat?"

"Fuck. I've been with Nancy all day."

"Did she come on to you?"

"Only a little. The joy of sleuthing kept her distracted from lustful thoughts."

"Well, that's something, anyway. Let's use my room."

The boys went upstairs to Joe's room and undressed.

"You know, I find that almost impossible to imagine," Joe said as he rolled onto the bed on his back.

"What?" Frank asked. He lifted Joe's heels up onto his shoulders and moved into position.

"Swearing to remain a virgin until marriage. Ah!" Joe gasped as Frank slid wet fingers into him. "What's the point? If you find someone you want to do it with, you should do it."

"Not everyone feels that way."

"I suppose."

Frank worked lubricant into Joe until he was wet and slippery. Then he shifted closer and put himself in with a contented sigh. He moaned softly as he began to move inside Joe and Joe's back arched up.

"Ahh!" Joe groaned. "You feel so good!"

"Yeah!" Frank gasped back. "What you said!"

They thrust against each other eagerly, moaning and groaning aloud. Climax left them breathless and gasping for air.

Frank collapsed between Joe's legs, his arms flung out to either side. "Right or wrong, someone apparently is taking that celibacy pledge very seriously. We need to figure out who before all of those people are killed."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nancy elected not to tell her father what she had learned with Frank that day. He would just insist that she tell Chief Jones and then Chief Jones would accuse her of meddling in police matters again. It was better to say nothing for now. She returned to her room after cleaning up the kitchen just as her phone started ringing. She glanced at the number and her heart skipped a beat when she recognized Ned's number. She'd let three calls from Ned go to her answering machine while she was with Frank.

"Hi, Ned!"

"_Hello Nancy. I've been trying to call you all day_." He sounded worried.

"I'm sorry, I was pretty busy today."

"_Oh. Are you working on a case or something?_"

"Yes, I'm working on a case with Frank Hardy. It's a murder investigation." She tried to put some emphasis on the last sentence. It didn't help.

"_Frank Hardy?!_" Ned sounded worried and unhappy now. "_I didn't know you were still in touch with him._"

"I hadn't been," Nancy replied lightly, "but he called and asked for my help. You know how I can't resist a mystery."

"_Yes, of course._" He sounded downright mournful. "_So do you still want to go out on Saturday?_"

"Of course I do! I'm looking forward to it. You've been so busy we haven't sent each other for weeks."

"_Well, I don't want to interfere with the case if you and Frank need to get together…_"

"Ned Nickerson, you're being silly!" Nancy tried to keep the edge out of her voice, but it was hard. "I expect you to be at my front door promptly at seven on Saturday and we're going to spend the whole evening together. I don't want to hear another word about it."

"_Ok, Nancy! I'll see you then. I love you._"

"I love you, too, Ned. Bye."

She disconnected and stared at nothing for a minute. _I have got to do something about his insecurity. Maybe I should seduce him._ Nancy sighed. _I need to stop thinking about how much I want to get laid._

She focused on her computer and put thoughts of Ned, Frank and sex out of her mind. Her goal for the night was to locate Jack Trowbridge and Lisa Delaney. The alumni directory at the high school didn't have current addresses for either of them and no one she'd spoken to was still in touch with Jack or Lisa.

Of course, if she couldn't find either of them, perhaps the person killing the members of their group couldn't either, but Nancy did not want to rely on that slim hope.

It was shortly after ten that night when, while searching the archives of the River Heights Journal, she finally found Jack Trowbridge. It was an article about executives being convicted of securities fraud. Jack Trowbridge was in prison serving a two year, five month sentence.

"Eureka!" Nancy shouted. She immediately picked up her phone and rang Frank's number.

It rang four times before he answered.

"_What's up, Nancy?_" He sounded breathless.

"I found Jack Trowbridge! He's in prison!"

"_No kidding? What for?_"

"Securities fraud."

"_Interesting._"

"I want to go see him. It's only a couple hour's drive."

"_All right. I'll pick you up tomorrow and we'll go together._"

"Great! See you then." Nancy disconnected with a smile. Another excuse to spend a day with Frank Hardy. Then she thought about Ned and felt guilty. Did he really have nothing to worry about if the thought of seeing Frank again excited her this much? But then, Frank never showed the slightest interest in her, at least as far as her womanhood was concerned.

_I need to decide what I want,_ Nancy thought. _Growing up sucks._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"What the hell did she want?" Joe growled. Frank's pants were still draped across Joe's chest where he'd dropped them trying to fish his cell phone out of the pocket.

"She found Jack Trowbridge. He's in prison."

"Oh, yeah? And you and Nancy are going to see him?"

"Uh huh."

"I can ditch school and go with you."

"No you can't. Dad would have a cow."

"I never get to have any fun."

"Going to a prison isn't fun. And anyway, you seemed to be having a lot of fun before Nancy interrupted us."

"Speaking of which… I wasn't finished."

Frank smiled. "Neither was I." He started moving again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Frank arrived at her house the next morning, he offered to drive to the prison and Nancy accepted. She was a little nervous about this excursion and found herself chattering incessantly as they drove. Frank really turned her on and she kept thinking about Ned. Oddly, though, Frank didn't seem to mind her chatter and he even appeared to be listening, because every now and then he would offer some comment that was actually relevant to whatever she had just said. He really was a nice guy.

On impulse, Nancy asked, "Frank, can I ask your advice about something?"

"Sure."

Suddenly embarrassed by her boldness, Nancy flushed. "It's kind of personal."

Frank smiled. "That's ok."

"Well, I was wondering, as a guy, would you think a girl was… easy, if she came on to you?"

"Not necessarily. I suppose it depends on if she acts that way with a lot of guys or just me."

"So if a girl shows a lot of interest in just one guy, she's not automatically a slut?"

"I wouldn't think so. But that's just me. Another guy might see it differently." He glanced at her. "Are you and Ned having problems?"

"Not, it's just…" She was too embarrassed to look at him. "I'm ready for more, you know? And Ned doesn't seem to be." Nancy frowned. She sounded frustrated, even to herself.

Frank chuckled softly. "Wanting to have sex with your boyfriend doesn't make you a slut! I bet Ned wants you just as badly. Maybe he's a little intimidated."

"You think I'm too forceful?"

"Not that. More like… totally confident. If Ned has doubts that he's good enough for you, it might give him a little… performance anxiety, shall we say?"

"So maybe he just needs a little encouragement?"

"Possibly." Frank gave her a lopsided grin. "And you probably shouldn't flirt with me in front of him."

Nancy blushed bright red. "Am I so obvious?"

"A little." He kept smiling to take the sting out of his words. "I don't really mind, you know, but I'd hate to come between you and Ned unintentionally."

Nancy returned his smile. "You really are a nice guy, Frank. I don't understand why some girl hasn't latched onto you yet."

"I'm in no hurry. Look, there's the exit."

Nancy had visited a prisoner before, so she knew the routine. Once they were settled into the visiting area to wait for Jack Trowbridge, she turned to Frank with a serious expression.

"Do you mind if I do the talking?" she asked. "I have some specific questions I'd like to ask him."

"It's your show," Frank replied. "I'll jump in if I think of anything."

"Thanks."

They did not have to wait long. Jack looked trim and tan and not much older than his yearbook photo as he settled down on the other side of the window in their interview booth. He studied them with open curiosity. Nancy and Frank each picked up a phone and Jack did the same.

"Mr. Trowbridge? I'm Nancy Drew and this is Frank Hardy. We're sorry to drop in on you unannounced, but we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions?"

"Call me Jack," Jack answered with an easy smile, "and don't apologize. I'm in prison. My friends dropped me like a hot rock when I was arrested. Even my mom won't visit me. Take your time."

"Uh, thanks. I wanted to ask you about some of your friends from high school. Do you remember Darren Bolton and Tonya Amberson?"

"Of course! Darren was probably my best friend all through high school." A sad smile crossed Jack's face. "I heard he was murdered. That really sucks. He was a good guy, even if he was a fag."

Nancy and Frank exchanged a quick glance. "You knew Darren was gay?"

"Yeah, he told me right before graduation. Freaked me out a little bit, but like I said, we were buddies, so I got over it. Besides, it wasn't me he had the hots for anyway."

"Were you still in touch with him?"

"No, we sort of drifted apart during college. Darren fell into that whole gay life-style thing and I was too busy trying to make a fortune."

"Who did he have the hots for?" Frank asked abruptly.

"Kevin." Jack grinned. "It was kind of funny, too, 'cause once Darren told me, I could think of all these times when he was coming on to Kevin and Kevin didn't have a clue."

"Did Kevin know about Darren?"

"I don't think so. I think it would have totally freaked him out."

"What about Tonya?" Nancy asked. "Were you close friends with her, too?"

"Not as much. She was a little too full of herself for my taste. She wasn't a snob or anything, it's just that she was way smarter than most people and she knew it. Kim was more my style. What a total babe!" Jack leaned forward with an eager expression. "She became a porn star, you know! Man, what I wouldn't give to spend the night with her. I miss being able to watch her videos. That woman is so hot she could turn a gay man straight and a straight woman gay."

Nancy tapped a finger on the table. "Did Kim sleep around?"

"No way, more's the pity. She hated it that guys were always staring at her tits and not paying any attention to what she said. She wanted people to take her seriously, like they did Tonya. I'm sure that's why she agreed to the pledge, when Tonya suggested it."

"Pledge?" Nancy interrupted sharply. "Do you mean the celibacy pledge?"

Jack grinned. "You heard about that, did you? What a colossal joke that was! Tonya got it into her head that we should all take a pledge to stay celibate until marriage. It was the in thing to do."

"Why did you take it?" Frank asked casually. "It sounds like you didn't really believe in it."

"To show the girls I was a serious guy." Jack shook his head and scrubbed his free hand across his chin. "I thought maybe Kim would be so impressed by my dedication that she'd give me a tumble. It didn't work." He laughed.

"Whose idea was it to make the certificates?" Nancy asked.

"Kevin made them. His dad ran a print shop. They were pretty nice, actually. I kept mine for years."

Nancy sighed. "Jack, I've got to be honest with you. Darren isn't the only one of your friends who's been murdered. Tonya and Julie Baker have also been killed."

Jack's face fell. "What?!"

"And we think whoever killed them did it because of that celibacy pledge."

Jack stared at them. "But why?"

"Both Darren and Tonya were mutilated in a way to make sex impossible for them. And they both had broken their pledge."

"We all broke it!" Jack shouted. A guard stepped toward him with a frown and Jack held up a placating hand. He lowered his voice. "Most of us didn't even make it out of high school. Julie had to get married, if you know what I mean."

Frank and Nancy exchanged another long look.

"We wondered why Julie was killed," Nancy said softly. "Look, Jack, we're really worried that the other people who took that pledge are in danger. We haven't been able to locate Kevin Brown or Lisa Delaney. Do you know where they are?"

"Lisa's in Paris." Jack ran his fingers through his hair. "She's a runway model. I don't know where Kevin is. I can't believe this." He smiled humorlessly. "I guess I'm in no danger, though." He looked around. "And believe me I'm as celibate as a priest in here. I'm not like Darren."

"Jack, can you think of any reason why the woods around Bay Port would be significant?" Frank asked.

Jack nodded slowly, realization dawning on his face. "That's where we took the pledge. We were on a field trip for our science class, collecting plant specimens. The seven of us were working as a group, talking about this and that, when Tonya comes up with this idea for the pledge. We stood in a circle, holding hands, and swore an oath to remain virgins until marriage." He closed his eyes. "Man, we were so serious, too. Shit!"

"You've been a big help, Jack," Nancy said gently.

"If you find out who did it, will you let me know?" Jack looked angry.

"Sure. Thank you for talking to us."

"I hope you catch him." Jack hung up the phone and pushed himself to his feet. He gave them a last sad look before plodding out of the visiting area.

Nancy hung up her phone and sat back, staring at Frank. Frank returned her stare with a thoughtful frown.

"It all makes sense," Nancy said quietly. "Everything fits."

Frank nodded. "Someone who knew about that pledge is punishing them for not keeping it. But who else knew about it except the seven of them?"

Nancy's eyes widened. "It's one of them," she whispered.

"It has to be," Frank agreed.


	10. Another Interview

**Warning**: This chapter contains adult language and incestuous homosexual situations.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 10: Another Interview

Joe lay on his bed on his stomach with his chin resting on his folded hands, listening thoughtfully to Frank's narrative of the interview with Jack Trowbridge. Frank was sitting on the edge of the bed with one leg tucked up underneath him.

"Wow!" Joe exclaimed when Frank finished. "I think you and Nancy are right. It has to be one of the three who are left."

Frank nodded. "But which one? I'm starting to wonder if I'm even right about it being a man. If they all broke the pledge like Jack said, why start killing the others off now?"

"Who knows? Are you sure Lisa Delaney is in Paris? I thought Nancy said she lived in town."

"She still owns a house in River Heights, but it's rented out. We don't know for sure if she's really in Paris. Nancy's hoping to get a number for her from an old boyfriend." Frank stood up. "We need to talk to Kimberly Watson and we need to find Kevin Brown."

Joe sat up. "Well, I didn't just waste time while you were gone. I got a phone number for Kimberly's producer. I called but he was out. His secretary said to call back tonight."

"Did you leave a message?"

"No."

"That's probably better. We can try him again now."

"I don't think Dad's going out tonight. What if he wants to know what we're doing?"

Frank looked thoughtful. "What homework do you have?"

"None. I finished it all at school."

"You're too damn smart, little brother," Frank grinned. "Well, let's say you're doing research for extra credit in economics and that I'm helping."

"And for this I need to call a producer of sex videos? I'm not sure even Dad will buy that."

"It's an industry, like any other!" Frank caught Joe by the hand and pulled him off the bed onto his feet. "We'll tell him you were looking for something unusual." He started for the door, still holding Joe's hand. "We'll fire up the computer and look for Kevin while we call."

"Ok."

In Frank's room, Joe settled in front of the computer and Frank sat on the bed to place the call. Arthur Sandoval was a giant in the local porn industry, but the nature of the business was such, he ran a very lean organization. Frank was not surprised when he answered the phone himself.

"_Sandoval Films._"

"Mr. Sandoval?"

"_Yes, this is Arthur Sandoval._"

"Mr. Sandoval, my name is Frank Hardy. I'm calling about one of your actresses."

"_My girls are all legal adults over eighteen! And they don't do private parties!_"

"That's not what I'm calling about. It's terribly important that I get in touch with Kimberly Watson. I think her life might be in danger."

"_It's sickos like you that are a danger to my girls!_"

"Please! Mr. Sandoval, don't hang up! Several of Miss Watson's friends from high school have been killed and I have reason to believe the killer might be after her."

"_Look, Hardy, or whatever your name is, Kim's a smart girl. She knows better than to let some weirdo get close to her._"

"That's just it; the person may be someone she knows and trusts. I really need to speak to her!"

"_Well, I'll tell you what. I'll pass your little message along and if Kim wants to call you, that's her business. I got your caller ID._" Sandoval disconnected.

"Dammit!" Frank swore softly. "I don't think he believed me."

"You didn't really expect him to, did you?"

"Well, no. But I was hoping." He tossed the phone on the bed and leaned back on his elbows. "Now what should we do?"

"Talk Dad into going out so we can go to bed."

"We're supposed to be looking for Kevin Brown."

"I'd rather fuck."

Frank shook his head. "Not gonna happen. Start Googling."

Joe turned back to the monitor. "Shit!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nancy sat in the middle of her bed with pictures of the seven celibate students laid out in a neat row in front of her. She'd copied the photos out of Darren's yearbook from the student pages and enlarged them. They were all handsome people, with the promise of bright futures in their eyes. It made Nancy a little sad looking at them, especially the three who'd lost their lives.

Someone knocked on her door.

"Come in!"

Bess poked her head in. "Are you busy, Nancy?"

"Not really." Nancy waved Bess into the room. "Where's George?"

Bess stepped in and closed the door. "Playing golf with some people from work." Bess stuck her lower lip out in a little-girl pout. "We were supposed to go out tonight."

"I keep telling you to learn to golf, Bess. It would make George happy."

"I know," Bess sighed, "but I'm just not very coordinated." She sat down carefully on the edge of the bed. "Who are they?" She pointed at the pictures.

"These are Darren and his friends," Nancy answered. "It's starting to look like one of them may be responsible for the murders."

"Really?"

"Yes, but Frank and I haven't been able to talk to these three." Nancy pointed at Lisa, Kimberly and Kevin's pictures, hovering over Kevin's for a moment. "We can't even find him."

Bess peered at Kevin's photo closely. "I've seen him!" she exclaimed.

"What?!"

"At the pharmacy!" Bess looked up, her face flushed with excitement. "He was picking up a prescription."

Nancy gripped Bess' arm. "When was this?"

"Two or three days ago. You know I recognize all my regular customers. That's why I remember him. He was new."

Nancy threw her arms around Bess in a tight hug and Bess let out a startled squeal. "You're the best, Bess!" Nancy cried.

Bess grinned happily. "Oh, but it gets even better. I had him fill out a customer card so he can get his prescriptions delivered. I have his address and phone number on file."

"Bess, I could kiss you! Where's my phone? I have to call Frank."

Bess beamed with delight as Nancy rang Frank's number.

"_Hello?_"

"Frank! I found Kevin Brown. He's right here in River Heights!"

"_Really? How did you find him?_"

"Do you remember my friend Bess Marvin? She works at the pharmacy. Kevin Brown picked up a prescription a few days ago. The pharmacy has his address."

"_That's fantastic! I'll come up first thing tomorrow and we'll go see him._"

"Do you think we should tell Sheriff Becker and Chief Jones?"

"_Let's talk to him first. I still haven't spoken to Kimberly Watson and we don't know for sure yet if Lisa Delaney is really in Paris. When we talk to the authorities again, I want to be able to tell them where everyone is._"

"That makes sense. All right, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"'_Night._"

Bess suddenly looked worried. "But Nancy, didn't you say one of these people is the murderer? What if it's him?" Fear made her eyes look large and vulnerable.

"That's why Frank is going with me. And we aren't going to say anything about our suspicions. I don't want to tip him off if he is the one."

"Promise me you'll be careful."

"Always. Besides, I've got a date with Ned on Saturday and I have no intention of dying a virgin."

Bess turned bright red. "Nancy!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Joe shut down the computer and turned to Frank with a scowl. "Well, this sucks! Now we don't have anything to do and we still can't fuck!"

"We could watch TV."

"My brain will rot."

"There might be a decent movie on. And you have more videos than Dad has books. Pick one."

"Fine! But if Dad skips group tomorrow, you're driving us somewhere to park."

"Oh, yeah, so Deputy Hill can catch us in the act! I don't think so. Anyway, Dad never skips group."

Joe continued to grumble, but Frank ignored him. "Come on. We're watching TV."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Frank arrived at Nancy's house shortly after nine the next morning. She greeted him with a smile, but this time there was no flirtation in her manner. Frank heaved an inward sigh of relief. Maybe their honest conversation yesterday was paying off.

"We need to swing by the pharmacy first to get his address. I feel a little guilty asking Bess to do this, though. She probably shouldn't be handing the information out."

"Probably not, but we don't have to say how we found him."

Bess had obviously been thinking about the propriety of giving out customer information because she looked nervous when she saw them enter the store.

"Hi Nancy! I'll be with you in a minute." Bess finished with the customer at the counter and then gave them an overly bright smile. "Hello Frank! It's good to see you again."

"Hello Bess. How have you been?"

"Fine, thanks." She turned back to Nancy. "I have that information you were asking about." She produced a folded piece of paper from her coat pocket. "Call me if you have any questions, ok?"

"Sure thing, Bess. Thanks!" Nancy took the paper without looking at it. "Let's have dinner tomorrow."

"That sounds great! Bye, Nancy!"

"Bye!"

"She seemed really nervous," Frank whispered as they left.

"She'll be fine." In the car, Nancy looked at the paper. "Oh, this isn't far." She gave Frank directions to an address only a few blocks away. "This is pretty close to my dad's office," she remarked.

The house was on a narrow street just off of the main street. A faded picket fence surrounded a yard whose grass was patchy and brown. They parked in front. The rickety gate in the fence nearly fell over when Frank pushed it open. They exchanged a glance as they walked up the cracked front walk to a shallow porch. Frank rang the bell.

A small dog began to yap and they heard a man's voice tell it to be quiet. Then the front door opened and they found themselves facing Kevin Brown through the ragged screen door.

"May I help you?" Kevin asked.

"Kevin Brown?" Nancy paused just long enough for him to nod. "We were wondering if we could speak to you for a moment."

A puzzled look crossed his face and he glanced over his shoulder. "If you don't mind, I'd prefer to talk outside. My grandmother isn't well."

"Of course."

Nancy and Frank moved back to give Kevin room to step out onto the porch. He pulled the door partway shut behind him and let the screen door close.

"My name is Nancy Drew," Nancy said immediately, "and this is Frank Hardy. We wanted to ask you about some of your friends from high school."

"I'm afraid I've lost touch with my childhood friends," Kevin said quietly. "I only just recently moved back to River Heights to care for my grandmother."

"Are you aware that people you used to know have been murdered?" Nancy asked.

Kevin flushed slightly. "I read about Darren Bolton in the paper. I felt so sorry for his family."

"Do you remember when you, Darren and a few others signed a celibacy pledge?"

Kevin's face momentarily lost all expression, but then he smiled slightly. "Young people do such silly things. They'll do anything to distinguish themselves from other kids. That was a long time ago."

"Two other people from that group have also been killed," Nancy said seriously. "We're concerned the rest of you might be in danger."

Kevin looked stunned. "Really? Who?"

"Julie Baker and Tonya Amberson."

Kevin's face paled and he put a hand out to steady himself against the door frame. "I… I don't understand. Why would anyone…?"

An elderly woman's voice called weakly from inside the house. "Kevin?"

Kevin started. "I'm sorry, I have to go." He fumbled at the screen door latch. "I'll say a prayer for them," he whispered hastily and ducked back into the house.

Nancy and Frank stared at the door as it clicked shut.

"Weird," Frank murmured. He turned to Nancy. "Let's go back to the pharmacy. I want to get his grandmother's name. Maybe we can find out more about him by searching on her name."

"Bess isn't going to like that."

"We don't have to have it right now. She can tell you later and you can email it to me."

"Ok."

They walked back to the car.

"By the way," Nancy said, "did you have any luck with Kimberly Watson?"

"No, but I'm still working on it. What about Lisa Delaney?"

"Nothing." Nancy raised her eyebrows. "But as you say, I'm still working on it."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was late afternoon by the time Frank got back to the house and Joe was already home.

"So what did you find out?" Joe demanded.

"Kevin Brown moved back to River Heights to care for his sick grandmother."

"Sounds like a nice guy."

"He seemed pretty quiet. He said he wasn't in touch with the others anymore."

"Interesting." Joe grinned. "By the way, Dad's already gone out for the evening."

"Oh, really?"

"Yup. He's having dinner with Sheriff Becker before they go to group. We have the place to ourselves."

Frank smiled. "Well, isn't that nice?"

Joe nodded. "I put a roast and some potatoes in the oven, but they won't be ready for at least an hour."

"How nice. Shall we go upstairs?"

"Absolutely."

Frank's phone chose that particular moment to ring.

"Dammit!" Frank grumbled as he answered it.

"Hello?"

"_This is Arthur Sandoval! Are you the guy who called me about Kim last night?_"

"Yes, that was me."

"_Did you talk to her?_"

"No. Did you give her my message?"

"_No, and I wasn't planning to either, but the stupid bitch has run off on me again and I'm trying to find her._"

"You don't know where she is?" Frank demanded. He exchanged an alarmed look with Joe.

"_No! The cow called me a couple weeks ago and said she needed some personal time. I said ok, she could take a couple weeks, and then nothing! If you know where she is, you better tell me!_"

"Mr. Sandoval, I told you her life might be in danger! You should call the police!"

"_If I called the cops every time she went on a bender or had a knock-down, drag-out with some fuck she picked up, I'd have to put 'em on speed dial! The chick's a nut case. Look, if you ain't talked to her, you're wasting my time._"

Sandoval hung up without any warning.

Frank stared at Joe. "Kimberly Watson is missing!"

"She's gonna turn up dead, just like Julie Baker!" Joe exclaimed.

"I don't know." Frank chewed on his lip. "Sandoval said she disappears all the time."

"But under the circumstances…"

"I know. I'd better call Nancy. We have to find out where Lisa Delaney is. But either way, I think I better call the sheriff. I think he needs to know what's going on."

Joe nodded in agreement. "Tell him and dad to come here for dinner. I'll put more potatoes in the oven."


	11. The Final Clue

**Warning**: This chapter contains adult language and mature subject matter.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 11: The Final Clue

Frank had just dropped her off when Nancy's phone rang. The caller ID wasn't blocked, but Nancy didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?"

"_Hello. Is this Nancy Drew? My name is Josh Carter. A friend of mine told me you're trying to get in touch with Lisa Delaney._"

"Yes! Thank you for calling me, Mr. Carter. It's really important that I speak to her as soon as possible."

"_Well, I have an old phone number for her that she gave me when she first moved to Paris. I haven't called her for a while, though, so I don't know if it's still good. The long-distance relationship wasn't working out._"

"It's better than what I have right now. Let me get a pen." Nancy hurried into the kitchen, where there was a notepad and paper by the phone. "Ok, go ahead."

Josh gave her the number, including the country code. "_I hope that helps._"

"I'm really grateful, Mr. Carter. Thank you so much."

"_You're welcome._" Josh hung up.

_This is great!_ Nancy thought. _What time is it in Paris?_ She glanced at the clock. It was early evening in Paris. Not too late to call. She dialed the number. The phone rang six times.

"_Allo?_"

"Hello. I am calling Lisa Delaney." Nancy put a questioning inflection in the statement.

"_This is she._"

"Miss Delaney, I'm so glad I reached you! My name is Nancy Drew. Do you have time to talk for a few minutes?"

"_What's this about, Miss Drew?_"

"I don't know if you're aware, but several people you used to know in high school have been killed recently."

"_You're kidding! Who?_"

"Darren Bolton, Tonya Amberson and Julie Baker."

"_Oh my god! How?_"

"I'm afraid they were all murdered. That's why I needed to speak to you. I thought your like might be in danger."

"_My life? Why?_"

"I believe they were all killed because of that celibacy pledge you took in high school."

"_That stupid thing? Why would anyone kill over that?_"

"I don't know. But can you tell me anything about Kevin Brown or Kimberly Watson? When was the last time you spoke to them?"

"_I haven't spoken to Kevin since graduation. I think he went off to become a priest or something. I talk to Kim every few months or so, usually right after she breaks up with her latest boyfriend. The woman's a complete mess. I keep telling her to find a nice girl and settle down, but she's in such denial, she just ends up in another crappy relationship with some loser guy._"

"Are you telling me Kim is gay?" Nancy asked in astonishment.

"_Bi, anyway. And she had this huge crush on Tonya back then, but Tonya was straight as they come, so nothing ever came of it._"

"Did the guys know?"

"_I doubt it, but even if they did, it wouldn't have mattered. Jack would have been hot for her anyway. I think she made a big mistake not starting a relationship with him, at least until she got over Tonya. She might have, too, if Tonya hadn't come up with that whole celibacy thing._" Lisa snorted. "_And you want to know what the real joke was? Tonya wasn't even a virgin! Julie told me afterward that Tonya had already done it with at least three guys. The pledge was just a joke she wanted to play on the others. She didn't think they'd take it seriously._"

"Except some of them did."

"_Yeah, Kevin sure did. When he handed us those certificates he'd made up, I thought Tonya was going to burst out laughing._"

"What about Kim?"

"_She took it pretty seriously for a while. Anytime a guy asked her out, she'd tell him about the pledge. After a while, they stopped asking. I thought maybe she'd start dating girls then, but she didn't. I lost touch with her for a while and then the next thing I hear, she's making porn videos. I felt kind of sorry for her._"

Nancy thought back over what Lisa had told her. Then something struck her. "You said Kevin was studying to be a priest?"

"_Yeah, something like that. Of all of us, he was the only one to take to the pledge naturally. He was just like that anyway. He was pretty quiet and kind of shy, but a real sweet guy. Julie was pretty hard up for him, but then she went and got herself knocked up and her parents made her marry the father. Kevin moved away while she was married. I think she always regretted that._"

"Did Kevin know about the others not keeping the pledge?"

"_I don't know for sure, but he must have. It's not like any of us were particularly discreet. 'Scuse me a second._"

Nancy could hear Lisa speaking in French to someone in the background.

"_Look, Miss Drew, I've got to go. Was there anything else?_"

"Just one more thing. When was the last time you spoke to Kim?"

"_Maybe three weeks ago? She called me, crying as usual. She was pretty incoherent. I think she'd just broken up with her latest boyfriend. She kept saying something about it all being a lie. I thought maybe she was finally ready to accept she should be with another woman._"

"Well, thank you, Miss Delaney. You've given me a lot to think about."

"_You're welcome, Miss Drew. Ciao!_"

"Goodbye."

Nancy hung up and stared at the notes she had furiously scrawled all over the notepad around Lisa's number. Who would be more upset to learn the others never believed in the pledge: a young man aspiring to the priesthood or a young woman confused about her sexuality?

But it all came back to how Darren had died. Who was with him that night?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

If Fenton was upset about missing group that night, he didn't show it. He listened just as intently as Sheriff Becker as Frank went over what he and Nancy Drew had learned in the last three days.

Tom Becker was taking neat notes as Frank spoke, but he didn't say a thing until Frank was finished.

"I always knew you had good instincts, Frank," Tom said approvingly. "And Chief Jones is making a mistake not taking advantage of Nancy's eye for detail. There's enough here to at least warrant picking those two up for questioning. They may not be guilty, but maybe they can point us at the one who is."

"That's why I decided we had to talk to you, Sheriff," Frank said. "If I'm wrong, it's just a few hours out of their lives. But if I'm right…"

"Maybe you'll have saved their lives." Tom closed his notebook with a snap and tucked it away in his pocket. "I have to get all this to Chief Jones. We should probably pick Brown up first thing in the morning. Thanks for dinner, boys." He stood up, but then paused with a thoughtful look on his face. "I know Chief Jones won't approve, but I'd like to take you boys along when we interview Kevin Brown. Since you've been in on this from the beginning, maybe something he says will ring a bell with you. I'll have Nancy Drew invited as well."

"Thanks, Sheriff!" Frank exclaimed. "I really appreciate that."

"Great." Tom held out his hand and Frank clasped it in a firm handshake. Tom shook hands with Joe, too, before turning to Fenton. "I'll pick you and the boys up first thing tomorrow."

"Ok, see you then."

After seeing Tom to the door, Fenton returned to the kitchen to stare at his sons with a stern expression. "I thought I said no investigating on your own."

Frank grinned. "You know me, Dad," he said with a shrug. "You knew I wouldn't leave it alone."

Fenton smiled wryly. "Well, I had hoped…" Then he shrugged too. "But, what's done is done, and if it solves the case, so much the better." He glanced at his watch and sighed. "Too late for group tonight," he said regretfully. "Why don't I clean up for a change? You boys go relax."

"Thanks, Dad."

Outside the kitchen, Frank spoke quietly to Joe. "I want to give Nancy a call and let her know what's going on."

"Good idea." Then Joe grinned. "Did you notice? Dad didn't say a thing about me missing school tomorrow."

"Yeah, I noticed." Frank smiled back. "Don't let me forget to call the school and report you absent tomorrow morning. I don't want your absence marked as unexcused."

Joe laughed. "You're worse than Mom!"

"Well, someone's got to make sure you graduate. We're supposed to go to college together next year, remember?" He put his arm around Joe's shoulders. ""I already have a lead on an apartment that will be available near campus."

Joe smiled dreamily. "Living all alone with my big brother: what could possibly be better than that? And if that's not motivation enough to graduate, I don't know what is."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Despite Frank's call the night before, Nancy was still a little flabbergasted when Chief Jones himself called Friday morning to invite her to Kevin Brown's interrogation. He didn't sound all that happy about it, but he still called and Nancy was delighted.

"We'll be picking him up at ten," Chief Jones said in a sour voice. "So if you come by around ten-thirty, we should be done processing him."

"I think I should come over earlier so we can talk, Chief," Nancy replied, trying to sound cool and professional. "I talked to another one of their friends last night and I have a little more information that might be helpful during the interview."

"Oh, really?" He sounded even more sour. "Very well, I'll try to make time for you while we're checking him in."

'Thanks, Chief. I'll see you shortly." Nancy hung up with a smile. She hadn't been able to witness a police interview since Chief Henderson retired. It was starting to feel more like old times. She quickly changed into a conservative gray pantsuit and put her hair up. She transferred her wallet, phone and a few other items from her purse to a small briefcase. Examining herself in the mirror, Nancy couldn't help grinning. _I even look like a cop!_

She left at once for the police station.

Nancy arrived at the station just after nine and had to wait for over an hour before Kevin was brought in. He looked pale and shaken, but he offered no resistance as he was escorted to a seat in the squad room. He sat slumped in the chair with his head in his hands, giving the officer his name, address and other personal information in a whispered monotone.

Chief Jones beckoned to Nancy from the door of his office and waited for her, holding the door open.

"Have a seat, Miss Drew." He closed the door behind her. "We have time to talk after all, because I want to wait for Sheriff Becker, from Bay Port."

"Thank you, Chief." Nancy sat down and crossed her legs. "May I ask how the arrest went?"

"We didn't arrest him; we just brought him in for questioning." Chief Jones frowned as he settled behind his desk. "But I was tempted. He acted mighty damned guilty. When we told him he needed to come to the station for a couple of hours, he freaked out. Kept insisting he couldn't leave his grandmother alone. He wouldn't cooperate until we got a nurse to come over from the hospital to stay with her. He came along quiet enough then. But he looks like he's ready to confess to something." The chief leaned back in his chair. "Now why don't you tell me what else you know?"

It was a loaded question, but Nancy resisted temptation. She told Chief Jones about her conversation with Lisa Delaney. She wondered if he would pick up on as many things as Frank had when she'd told him.

He didn't.

Fortunately, Sheriff Becker and the Hardys arrived as she was finishing, so they all went down to the interview room and she did not have to point out all the pertinent facts that the chief seemed to have missed.

"You may all watch the interrogation from the observation room," Chief Jones said. "I'll be conducting the interview alone, but I'll have an earphone, so if you have something you want to ask, just tell Officer Burton here."

Officer Burton, an efficient-looking young man, was manning the recording equipment, which was operated from outside the interview room for the protection of both the citizen and the officer.

Chief Jones went into the interview room.

Kevin, already seated inside, looked like he might faint.

"First of all, Mr. Brown, I want to re-emphasize that you are not under arrest. We just want to ask you a few questions about some former acquaintances of yours."

"It's about Darren, isn't it?" Kevin blurted out immediately. "I know it is, because that girl already talked to me!" He began to weep uncontrollably. "I didn't do it! I swear I didn't!"

Chief Jones frowned. "Mr. Brown, when did you last see Darren Bolton?"

"It was that night!" Kevin gasped. "The night he died! Oh, god! But it wasn't me!" He collapsed onto the table, sobbing hysterically.

"Please, Mr. Brown, control yourself!" Chief Jones looked exasperated. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I can't!" Kevin wailed. "It's… I… oh, god help me!" His face alternately flushed and paled.

Sudden realization struck Nancy and she turned to stare at Frank. She saw from his expression that he was thinking the same thing. "Officer Burton, please ask Chief Jones if I can conduct the rest of the interview."

He stared at her in surprise.

"Please!" Nancy said urgently. "He's not going to talk to another man, but he might tell me. Please!"

Officer Burton looked doubtful, but he spoke into the intercom. "Miss Drew wants to know if she can take over."

Chief Jones shook his head and continued to press Kevin, who just sank further down into the chair, sobbing.

Nancy nudged Officer Burton and he spoke again. "She's pretty insistent, Chief. She says he's not going to talk to a man."

That got Chief Jones' attention. He stared at the observation window in surprise and then stood up. "Excuse me, Mr. Brown."

Nancy immediately bolted for the door and met him in the hall outside.

"Just what the hell do you mean by that, Miss Drew?" he demanded angrily.

"Do you want to know what happened that night or not?" Nancy demanded in return.

He glared at her for a long moment and then nodded sharply. "But if you violate his rights, you'll spend the night in jail."

Nancy didn't dignify that with a response. She entered the interview room.

"Kevin, do you remember me? I'm Nancy Drew."

Kevin looked up at the sound of her voice. He made an effort to pull himself together, wiping the tears from his face with the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry, Miss Drew. This is very stressful."

"I know." She sat down opposite him. "When did you first meet Darren again?"

"The day after I returned to River Heights. I was walking home from the grocery store when he drove by."

Nancy pushed a box of tissues toward him. He took one and wiped his nose.

"He invited me to dinner." Kevin continued in a quiet voice. "To catch up, he said. My grandmother still needed a full time nurse then, and one was staying with us at that time, so I agreed." He fell silent.

Nancy watched his face. "What happened?" she asked gently, even though she was quite certain she already knew.

Kevin began to weep again, but softly this time. "He seduced me," he whispered. "I think he drugged me, because I couldn't… I didn't… stop him. I let him…" Tears streamed down his cheeks. "I've never done anything like that before. Not ever."

Nancy reached out and patted his hand gently. "I know. What happened then?"

"I passed out. When I woke up, he was talking on the phone. When he saw me move, he held the phone out and said '_Here, talk to Kim. She doesn't believe you're in bed with me._' I just started screaming at him. _How could you do this to me?! How could you tell someone?!_ Stuff like that. I grabbed my clothes and ran out." Kevin looked up at her. His eyes looked bruised. "He followed me and stopped me before I could leave. He said he was sorry and that he did it to hurt Kim, not me. He said…" Kevin fell silent again, staring at the table in front of him.

"What did he say?" Nancy asked quietly.

Kevin didn't look up. "He said Tonya made up the pledge just to make a fool of Kim because Kim had tried to kiss her once and that he and Julie and Lisa all knew. He told me he had sex with Tonya once during our junior year, almost a year before she came up with the pledge." Kevin stared at Nancy in dismay. "She wasn't even a virgin! None of them were; just me and Kim. And they were laughing at Kim the whole time."

Nancy leaned forward intently. "Did he hang up the phone when he came after you?"

Kevin looked startled. "I don't know. He was holding it while we were talking." He stared at her. "Do you think Kim overheard us? Overheard what he said about her?"

Nancy nodded slowly. "Why did Darren hate her enough to want to hurt her like that?"

Kevin stared down at the damp, crushed tissue in his hand. "Because she told him, a long time ago, that I was in love with her and that she did it with me after graduation."

"Why would she tell him that?"

Fresh tears slid down Kevin's cheeks. "He told me… right before graduation, she asked him to be her first. He told her he wasn't interested because he wanted to be with me and she should go fuck another girl anyway because she was gayer than he was."

"Why did he believe what she said about you?"

"She described my… my genitals… to him," Kevin answered faintly. "I don't know how she would have seen me, but he had seen me in the locker room. So he half-way believed her and hated her for it. But I think that's why he never told me he was gay."

Nancy glanced at the observation window. She wondered if this was making as much sense to Frank as it was to her. Probably. "Did you tell him it wasn't true?"

"Yes. And then I asked him why he… why he seduced me. He said it was because he'd always wanted to and even if it turned out I hadn't done it with Kim, he didn't think I would still be a virgin after all this time."

The crushed, wounded look on Kevin's face almost brought tears to Nancy's eyes. She reached out and folded her hands around his. "Thank you for telling me all this, Kevin. Was Darren alive when you left?"

"Yes," he whispered.

Nancy looked back up at the observation window. A moment later, the door opened and Chief Jones stepped in.

"Thank you, Miss Drew," he said gravely. "Mr. Brown, you're free to go, but please don't leave town. I will have you under surveillance, for your own protection, until Kimberly Watson is arrested."

Kevin nodded mutely.

"I'll have an officer drive you home. Miss Drew, may I have a word with you?"

Nancy followed Chief Jones out into the hall and back into the crowded observation room. He turned to her with an expression of grudging admiration.

"You knew Darren had sex with him," Chief Jones stated.

Nancy nodded. "I suspected it. Frank and I always believed Darren had sex with someone that night, but we initially believed it was the killer."

"Well, I have an APB out on Kim Watson," the chief said. "We'll find her. Thank you for all your help, Miss Drew." He shook her hand. "Sheriff, if you and Mr. Hardy would come with me, there are a few more things I'd like to discuss."

The three of them left. Nancy, Joe and Frank followed them out into the hall and watched as a policeman escorted Kevin away.

"Well," Joe said finally. "That was mighty interesting."

"You did a good job drawing him out, Nancy," Frank added.

"Thanks!" Nancy smiled. "But I think it's time to make myself scarce. I don't want to wear out my welcome with Chief Jones! Want to have lunch?"

"Sure! I'm starved!" Joe replied immediately.

"Great! I'll drive," Nancy said and led the way out of the police station.


	12. Denouement

**Warning**: This chapter contains adult language and mature subject matter.

-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 12: Denouement

Although the case wasn't completely solved, Nancy felt a certain satisfaction in having figured out who the killer was. She therefore felt no guilt at all on Saturday when she decided to devote herself to some very feminine activities in getting ready for her date with Ned. At 6pm, she went downstairs to find her dad. He was seated comfortably in his recliner, reading the paper.

"Father," Nancy announced, "as you know, I have a date with Ned tonight."

Carson folded his paper. "Yes, I remember that."

"Well, I plan to spend a good portion of the evening discussing with Ned how I would like to see our relationship progress."

"Oh?" Carson lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Yes. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you could arrange to be out all evening."

"I see." Carson studied his daughter. "Do you think Ned is ready for that?"

"He better be, because I sure am."

"Very well." Carson got up and tossed the newspaper into the chair. "As it happens, there is something at the office I should probably finish up. I expect it will keep me busy until at least 11pm."

"That should be long enough. Thanks, Dad!" Nancy danced forward and planted a wet kiss on Carson's cheek. "You're the best!"

Carson smiled. "Take precautions."

"Of course."

"That's my girl, always planning ahead for everything."

"The girl who makes plans gets what she wants," Nancy grinned.

When Ned arrived an hour later, Nancy couldn't restrain herself. She flung her arms around his neck and gave him a long, deep kiss.

"Wow!" Ned exclaimed breathlessly. "What was that for?"

"For being the guy I love," Nancy said happily. "Come in, I want to talk for a little while before we go out."

"Ok, but we shouldn't take too long. The movie starts in half-an-hour."

Nancy took his hand and led him upstairs.

"You want to talk in your room?"

"Um-hm." Nancy pulled him inside and closed the door. She pointed at the bed. "Sit down."

Ned sat gingerly on the edge of her bed, looking nervous. "What's this all about, Nancy? Is something wrong?"

Nancy plopped down on the bed next to him and put her arms around him. "Nope, everything's fine. The case I was working on is pretty much over. We know who did it; the cops just have to pick her up."

"It was a woman?"

"Yup." Nancy leaned over and nuzzled Ned's ear.

He flinched. "Hey, Nancy, I thought you wanted to talk?"

"I lied." She licked the edge of his ear. "I want to fool around."

Ned started to his feet. "Look, Nancy, I think we should go out now." He sounded panicked.

For answer, Nancy stretched out on the bed with her arms above her head. "Do you love me, Ned?"

He glanced at her once and then quickly looked away. "You know I do."

"Then how come I don't excite you? You make me feel ugly," she said with a pout.

Without looking at her, Ned said, "Nancy, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and if I wanted you any more I would go stark, staring mad. So please stop tormenting me and let's go out."

She sat up on her elbows. "I'm serious, Ned. I don't want to go out. I want you to get in this bed with me and show me how much you love me."

He put his hands over his face. "Are you sure I'm the one you want?"

She sat all the way up. "Ned," she said softly, "I've been saving myself for you, but I don't want to wait anymore. Please come to bed with me." She said the last in the throatiest purr she could manage.

Ned gasped. He turned around and crawled onto the bed, wrapping his arms around her and bearing her down onto her back. His mouth pressed against hers in a hungry, passionate kiss. Nancy put her arms around him and kissed back happily. At last!

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

By Monday, the authorities had interviewed all of Kim Watson's friends and associates, but she was still at large. Stakeouts of her condo, the studio and various known haunts and hangouts had produced nothing. No one had heard from her and she had used neither her cell phone nor her credit cards.

Sheriff Becker was very annoyed. "I'd say the damn woman knows we're looking for her. How else do you explain why she hasn't used any of her bank cards?"

"You're probably right, Sheriff," Frank said. He was alone with Tom Becker in the Sheriff's office. Tom had asked him to come by and review all of the interview transcripts with Kim's associates to see if anything leaped out at him. Unfortunately, nothing really struck him as noteworthy. "It's probably my fault because I called her producer."

"But Sandoval said he never gave her your message."

"I know, but still. She must have found out about it somehow. Did you talk to Lisa Delaney? Maybe Kim called her again."

"Yeah, I spoke to her myself on Saturday. No dice."

"You don't suppose Kim left the country? She might try to get to Lisa."

"I warned Miss Delaney about that. She told me she would go down to Italy and hang out for a couple of days with a guy she knew."

"But if Kim did leave the country…"

"We've been checking on that. This day and age, it's not so easy for folks to come and go anonymously. Why don't you head on home, Frank? I don't think there's anything else you can help me with here. I'll let you know when something breaks, ok?"

"Ok. Thanks, Sheriff." Frank stood up and held out his hand. Tom shook it and Frank left. He checked his watch as he walked to his car, parked a block up from the station. School had been out for a while, so Joe was probably home already. Frank smiled. Fenton had a new case and would be at work until dinner.

"Joe!" Frank called as soon as he walked in the house. "I'm home!"

There was no answer.

"Joe!" Frank stood at the bottom of the stairs and listened, but there was no response. _That's weird. Joe should be here by now. Maybe he's asleep._

Frank jogged up the stairs and quietly poked his head into Joe's room. And froze.

"It's about time you got home," Kimberly Watson said in a slow drawl. "Joe and I were starting to worry." She looked down at Joe with a cruel grin, pressing the heavy-bladed kitchen knife she was holding against his throat.

Joe lay completely still. He was stretched out on his back with his hands at his sides. Kim was seated on the bed above and a little behind him, her left hand gripping his head firmly by the hair, her right holding the knife against his throat. Frank recognized the knife. It was one of theirs. He'd sharpened it himself two days ago.

"Come in and shut the door," Kim commanded.

Frank obeyed her without a word.

"Did I surprise you?" Kim asked with a soft chuckle. "You're just like them, you know, thinking you're so smart." She leaned forward. "I saw you, you know. That night. You thought I was long gone, but I was still there. I saw the two of you doing it. And then I heard you talking." She shook her head at him. "Naughty, naughty! Doing it with your own brother! Not even Darren was that kinky." She sat back and played the knife slowly across Joe's throat. He stiffened as a thin red line appeared on his skin under the blade.

Frank drew in an involuntary breath.

Kim laughed sharply. "You really care about him, don't you? That's sweet. Maybe that's what I needed growing up: a nice big brother like you."

"Miss Watson…" Frank began.

"Shut up!" she shouted. "Don't try to tell me you understand what I'm going through! What the hell would you know? Did the people you thought were your friends make fun of you behind your back? Did they pretend to like you, when all the time they were laughing at you? They deserved it!"

"What has any of that to do with us?" Frank asked.

Kim appeared startled by the question. "You found her. If it wasn't for you, no one would have found out."

"So you would have let Kevin take the fall for Darren's murder? Kevin never made fun of you."

"Kevin thinks I'm a whore," Kim snarled.

"He never said that."

"What? What the hell are you talking about? How would you know?"

"I was there when they interviewed him. He told us what happened that night. He never said you were a whore. Darren did."

"Like he should talk!" Kim said angrily. "Darren fucked every guy in River Heights!"

"What about all the guys you fucked?"

"It wasn't sex!" Kim screamed. "It was acting! You don't know anything!" She jerked on Joe's hair as she shouted and his neck flinched up against the knife. The blade bit into his skin again.

Frank clenched his fists. "Joe and I haven't fucked anyone but each other. Why are you taking this out on us?" Frank watched her closely as he talked. He didn't really care what he said or how she responded to it. He was waiting for an opening. He kept his eyes on her face. He was afraid if he looked at Joe he would trigger a tragic reaction.

"Because you're perverts! Just like them! Pretending to be something you're not and leading other people on!" She grinned maliciously. "I talked to that woman deputy last week to find out what they knew about Tonya. She really likes your pretty little brother." She tapped Joe's chin with the knife. "She doesn't have any idea he'd rather take it up the ass from you than look at her twice. I bet you laugh about her all the time, call her names."

Frank didn't say anything.

Kim smiled. "You see? I know all about you. It was you who figured out Darren and Tonya knew each other. If not for that, they would never have connected them to me. You ruined it and I don't think I want to let you get away with that."

"What did you do with Darren's penis?" Frank asked suddenly.

Kim looked as if he'd slapped her. "What?" She sounded almost stunned.

"Did you castrate him before or after you strangled him?"

Her mouth worked silently for several seconds. "He was dead…" she answered slowly.

"Why castrate a dead man? What was the point? Why plug up Tonya's vagina?"

"You don't understand!" Kim looked confused. Her hand holding the knife wavered. "I needed to make them virgins…"

"You can never get your virginity back, Kim." Frank said. "Whatever man you gave it to is long gone and he probably doesn't even remember."

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. She jerked the knife back to stab it into Joe's throat.

Frank leaped forward at the same instant that Joe threw up his hands. Joe caught her wrist with his right hand and the knife blade with his left. Frank didn't go for any delicate heroics. He punched Kim in the face with all his strength. Her head snapped back and smacked into the headboard and she collapsed limply onto the floor.

"Dammit, Joe!" Frank said as he gathered Joe into his arms.

Joe clutched his left hand in his right, blood running freely between his fingers. "Shit, Frank, it's a lot of blood."

Frank dug his phone out of his pocket with his left hand and dialed 911. "Yeah, this is Frank Hardy. I need an ambulance right now. My brother's been stabbed. Yeah, that's right. Thanks." He disconnected. "They'll be here in a few minutes." Frank pulled Joe close and hugged him tightly. "It'll be all right, little brother."

"I know. You better call the Sheriff."

"In a minute." Frank took off his shirt and tied it around Joe's hand to slow the bleeding.

"We'll never get those stains out," Joe remarked through gritted teeth.

"I'll get another shirt," Frank replied with a worried, affectionate smile. "How's that?"

"It hurts like a sonofabitch."

"Good, that means you still have feeling. Now I'll call the Sheriff."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Joe needed eighteen stitches in his hand and he was kept at the hospital overnight for observation. He came home in a sling, with prescriptions for antibiotics and painkillers and instructions to keep his hand immobilized for the next few days.

"I want you to avoid all strenuous activity for the next seven to ten days," the doctor told him.

"You don't suppose he meant ALL strenuous activity, do you?" Joe asked Frank plaintively when they got home. "And I'm not an invalid, dammit!"

Frank ignored him and kept his firm grip around Joe's waist as he helped him up the stairs. "I'm sure he meant none of that, too," Frank said with a smile.

They entered Joe's room and Joe looked around in astonishment. "It's clean!"

"Of course it's clean," Frank said huffily. "I spent all last night working on it." He put his hands on Joe's shoulders. "I didn't want you to have nightmares."

"Then sleep with me," Joe said, grinning, "It will help."

Fenton knocked on the open door. "How's our young invalid?"

Joe wrinkled his nose at Frank and spoke over his shoulder. "I'm fine, Dad, just a little tired. I think I'll lie down for a little while." He sat on the bed. "Don't you have group tonight?"

"I was planning to skip that…" Fenton began, but Joe interrupted him.

"I hope not on my account. I've got my pain pills and Frank will be here." He blinked at his dad innocently.

"Well, if you think you'll be all right..."

"I'll be fine, Dad. You should go ahead to group. Frank and I want to see you put your life back together."

Fenton looked surprised and then he smiled. "Thanks, that's real thoughtful of you boys. Well, get some rest, Joe."

They listened to his steps receding down the stairs.

Frank sat down on the bed facing Joe. "You're not supposed to do anything strenuous."

"I promise I'll just lie there and let you do all the work."

"Joe…"

"It will make me feel better."

"That's blackmail."

"I know. But you know you're the only one I need."

Frank smiled and Joe smiled back.

"And you're the only one I need, little brother."


End file.
